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BV  1516  .Al  B7  1893 
Bromfield,  Edward  T. 
A  review  of  the  Sabbath- 
school  mission  work  of  the 


A  REVIEW 


Sabbath-School  Mission  Work 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH. 


1887-1893. 


By  Edward  T.  Bromfield,  D.  D. 


PHILADELPHIA  : 
Allen,  Lane  &  Scott's  Printing  House, 

229-233  South  Fifth  Street. 

1893. 


TO 


Hon.  George  H.  Shields,  Chairman, 

Rev.  George  P.  Hays,  D.  D.,  LL.  D., 
Rev.  E.  R.  Craven,  D.  D.,  LL.  D., 
Rev.  Edward  C.  Ray,  D.  D., 

Franklin  L.  Sheppard,  Esq., 
William  M.  Tenney,  Esq., 

The  Committee  on  Publication  appointed  by  tlie  General 
Assembly  of  1886,  whose  exhaustive  and  admirable  report 
led  to  the  Eeorganization  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Pub- 
lication, and  the  Consolidation  of  the  Sabbath-School  and 
Missionary  Work  of  the  Board  into  one  Department,  this 
Review  of  that  Work  is  respectfully  inscribed. 

EDWARD  T.  BROMFIELD. 


625  North  Tenth  Street, 

Philadelphia,  April,  1893. 


OOIsrTEE"TS. 


PAGES 

I.  Introductory 7,  8 

II.  Historical  : —  ^ 

Special  Committee  of  1886 — Consolidation  of  Depart- 
ments— ^Views  of  Committee— Work  of  New  Depart- 
ment—Survey of  the  Field— 1888-9— Student  Work— 
1889-90— New  Features— 1890-1— Questions  of  Over- 
sight, &c — 1891-2 — Finances — Summary  of  Work — 
1892-3 — Location  of  Missionaries 9-20 

III.  General  Principles  : — 

Sabbath-schools  for  Sabbath-schools — Catholicity — Fidel- 
ity to  Presbyterian  Polity — and  Evangelical  Doctrine  .  21-26 

IV.  The  Field  of  Work: — 

Preliminary  Points — Statistics  of  the  Case — International 
Sunday-school  Conventions — Census  Returns — Youth- 
ful Population — Sabbath-school  INIembership — Teach- 
ers and  Adults — Comparative  Tables — Astounding  Re- 
sult— Work  of  five  Societies — Testimony  from  Michi- 
gan— American  Sunday-school  Union — Congregational 
Sunday-school  Society — Baptist  Sunday-school  Work 
— Methodist  Episcopal  Sunday-school  Union — Protest- 
ant Episcopal  Sunday-school  Institute — Conclusions  .  27-38 

V.  Relation  of  the  Sabbath-school  Work  to  the  Church  : — 
As  to  Intention — As  to  Fact — Does  the  Sabbath -school 
Work  Strengthen  and  Build  up  the  Presbyterian 
Church — Difficulties  in  the  Inquiry  as  to  Statistics 
and  Reports — Circular  Letter  and  Replies  from  Mis- 
sionaries —  Presbyterian  Schools  —  Churches  —  Con- 
clusion from  Evidence — Views  of  Missionaries — Pen 

(5) 


6  CONTENTS. 

Pictures  —  Testimony  from  Synods  —  Corroborative 
Experience  —  Reflections  —  Experience  Teaches  — 
Eeflex  Influence  on  Church 39-57 

VI.  Permanence  in  Sabbath-school  Work  : — 

Criticism  Stated — Importance  of  the  Question — Data  at 
Command — Annual  Reports — Reports  from  the  Field 
— Conversations  and  Correspondence — Why  do  Sab- 
bath-schools Die — Want  of  Teachers — Climate — Local 
Depravity  —  Sectarianism — Want  of  Church  Afiilia- 
tion — Want  of  Oversight  and  Help — Safeguards  and 
Remedial  Measures — Missionary  Watchfulness  —  De- 
partmental Supervision — Annual  Census  —  Presbyte- 
rial  Oversight — Synodical  Superintendence — Summer 
Schools — Encouragements 58-73 

VII.  Responsibility  op  the  Church  : — 

The  Presbyteries — Suggestions    from    the    Field  —  The 

Churches 74-76 

VIII.  Conclusion 77,78 


I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

Sabbath-school  Mission  Work  in  the  United  States  is 
a  crusade  of  the  Church,  through  various  agencies,  in  be- 
half of  the  religious  instruction  of  our  people,  especially 
the  young,  in  those  places  in  our  own  land  which  are  des- 
titute of  Christian  privileges.  The  movement,  as  a  whole, 
forms  a  deeply-interesting  chapter  in  modern  Church 
history. 

The  Sunday-school  has  been  for  many  years  a  recognized 
branch  of  Christian  service,  but  it  has  been  left  to  our  own 
times  to  witness  its  development  into  a  powerful  aggressive 
force  for  the  spread  of  Christian  institutions.  It  stands 
now  to  the  Church  as  the  light-armed  infantry  or  cavalry 
regiments  stand  to  the  regular  army.  It  moves  with 
rapidity  and  with  the  least  possible  expense.  It  prepares 
the  way  for  heavier  battalions.  Ten,  fifteen,  twenty  mis- 
sion Sabbath-schools  can  be  organized  for  less  money  than 
it  takes  to  build  one  very  plain  church.  People  who  hold 
back  from  any  church  movement  see  no  objection  to  a 
Sunday-school.  Children  are  always  easily  won  over. 
Should  the  school  prove  to  be  only  short  lived,  the  good 
accomplished  by  it  far  outweighs  the  cost.  It  can  fall  back 
from  any  poorly-chosen  position  without  disgrace.  It  can 
penetrate  into  mountain  fastnesses  or  plant  itself  in  prairie 
or  backwoods  settlements  wherever  it  can  gather  half  a 
dozen  children  together.  And  in  house-to-house  visitation, 
which  is  a  necessary  element  in  the  case,  the  missionary 
finds  ample  opportunity  of  conveying  the  Gospel  message 
to  '  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men.' 

With  these  advantages  in  its  favor  it "  is  no  wonder 
that  the  Sabbath-school  mission  work  of  the  Church  has 
proved  a  success  and  attracted  to  itself  many  workers 
and  supporters.     That  it  has  reached  its  highest  plane  of 

(7) 


Q  SABBATH-SCHOOL   MISSION    WORK. 

development ;  that  its  methods  cannot  be  improved  upon ; 
that  its  agents  are  always  wise  ;  that  its  schools  are  always 
permanent ;  that  there  is  never  a  clashing  of  denomina- 
tional interests,  cannot  be  affirmed.  But  the  history  of  the 
movement  is  a  history  of  conquest.  It  is  doing  a  grand 
pioneer  work  for  the  Church.  It  deserves  not  only  recog- 
nition, but  careful  study  and  intelligent,  hearty  sympathy. 

I  propose  to  present  in  brief  outline  the  recent  phases 
of  this  work  in  our  own  Church,  its  underlying  principles 
and  the  vastness  of  the  field  before  it.  I  shall  prove  that 
notwithstanding  the  efforts  made  by  the  different  denomi- 
nations to  gather  the  young  people  of  our  country  into 
Sabbath-schools  the  number  outside  is  steadily  gaining 
upon  us.  I  shall  then  consider,  from  various  points  of 
view,  the  relation  of  this  work  to  the  Church,  and  the 
responsibility  of  the  Church  towards  the  work,  including, 
in  this  and  other  sections  of  the  review,  some  practical 
considerations  and  suggestions. 

For  reports  and  other  documents  and  information  perti- 
nent to  this  inquiry  I  am  indebted  to  the  following  gentle- 
men, besides  the  officers  of  the  Board  of  Publication  :  Rev. 
James  M.  Crowell,  D.  D.,  of  the  American  Sunday  School 
Union ;  Rev.  J.  M.  Boynton,  D.  D.,  of  the  Congregational 
Sunday  School  and  Publishing  Society ;  Rev.  Benjamin 
Griffith,  D.D.,  of  the  American  Baptist  Publication  Society ; 
Rev.  W.  A.  Newbold,  of  the  American  Church  Missionary 
Society ;  Rev.  Herman  L.  Duhring,  of  the  American  Church 
Sunday  School  Institute ;  Rev.  Richard  N.  Thomas,  Editor 
American  Church  Sunday  School  Magazine;  Rev.  J.  M. 
Freeman,  D.  D.,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Sunday  School 
Union ;  Mr.  A.  F.  Childs,  of  the  Census  Bureau,  Washing- 
ton ;  Mr.  Frank  Woods  and  Mr.  E.  Payson  Porter,  of  the 
Executive  Committee,  International  Sunday  School  Con- 
vention ;  Mr.  M.  H.  Reynolds,  of  the  Michigan  State  Sun- 
day School  Convention ;  also  to  the  Stated  Clerks  of  many 
of  our  Synods. 


HISTORICAL.        ,  y 

II. 

HISTORICAL. 

For  our  present  purpose  it  is  not  necessary  to  recite  the 
history  of  the  Sabbath-school  mission  work  of  the  Presb}'- 
terian  Churcli  prior  to  1887.  The  subject  is  fully  treated 
in  Dr.  Willard  M.  Rice's  admirable  little  book,  entitled 
'  History  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Publication  and 
Sabbath-school  Work,  prepared  at  the  suggestion  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  1888,  under  the  direction  of  the  Sec- 
retary.' It  is  also  outlined  in  a  report  of  a  Special  Commit- 
tee presented  to  the  General  Assembly  of  1887,  and  appear- 
ing in  the  Minutes  for  that  year.  This  Special  Committee 
was  appointed  by  the  Assembly  of  188G  to  consider  the 
question  of  the  reorganization  of  the  Board  of  Publication. 
It  was  constituted  with  8  members,  namely :  General 
George  H.  Shields,  Chairman ;  Ministers — John  Hall,  D.  D  , 
LL.  D.,  George  P.  Hays,  D.  D.,  E.  R.  Craven,  D.  D.,  LL.  D., 
Edward  C.  Ray,  D.D. ;  Elders— Franklin  L.  Sheppard,  Will- 
iam M.  Tenney,  Hon.  John  Trunkey.  Dr.  Hall  and  Mr. 
Trunkey  being  unable  to  serve,  the  membership  was  re- 
duced to  6.  Their  report  was  thorough  and  exhaustive, 
and  was  adopted  by  the  Assembly  with  entire  unanimity 
May  21st,  1887.  Under  their  recommendations  the  desig- 
nation of  the  Board  was  changed  from  '  The  Presbyterian 
Board  of  Publication '  to  '  The  Presb3^terian  Board  of  Pub- 
lication and  Sabbath-school  Work,'  with  three  departments, 
represented  by  three  committees  of  the  Board — the  Sab- 
bath-school Work,  the  Editorial  Work,  and  the  Business 
Department.  Some  other  changes  of  more  or  less  impor- 
tance were  made  which  it  is  unnecessary  to  mention  here- 
The  principal  change  was  the  consolidation  of  the  Sab- 
bath-school WORK  AND   COLPORTAGE   OR  MISSIONARY  WORK 

into    one   department,  with   the   Rev.   James   A.  Worden, 
D.  D.,  as  Superintendent.     The  '  Sabbath-school  work '  had 


10  SABBATH-SCHOOL   MISSION   WORK. 

been  under  the  charge  of  the  Rev.  James  A.  Worden, 
D.  D.,  since  the  year  1878,  first  as  Superintendent,  after- 
wards as  Secretary.  The  Special  Committee  reported  con- 
cerning the  work  that  it  had,  '  by  reason  of  the  character  of 
the  Board's  organization,  been  confined  to  the  holding  of 
Sabbath-school  institutes,  platform  work  in  bringing  the 
subject  before  the  Assembly,  and  arousing  renewed  interest 
in  localities,  and  in  the  organization  of  a  course  of  nor- 
mal instruction  known  as  '  Bible  Correspondence  School.' 
Meanwhile  what  was  known  as  the  Colportage  or  Mission- 
ary Department,  the  really  aggressive  feature  of  the  Board 
of  Publication,  was  under  separate  management,  under  the 
old  lines  of  work  originally  laid  down.  The  committee  rec- 
ognized the  efficient  work  done  by  Dr.  Worden  within  his 
limited  sphere,  but  described  him,  so  far  as  aggressive  work 
was  concerned,  as  a  general  without  an  army,  while  the  col- 
porteurs, so  far  as  Sabbath-school  work  was  concerned,  they 
described  as  an  army  without  a  general.  The  remedy,  accord- 
ing to  the  committee,  lay  in  consolidation,  and  the  bringing 
of  the  Sabbath-school  missionary  work  to  the  front — mak- 
ing the  establishment  of  Sabbath-schools  in  destitute  regions 
the  first  instead  of  a  secondary  aim  of  the  Board.  Hereto- 
fore the  dissemination  of  religious  books  and  Bibles  had 
been  the  first  object,  and  Sabbath-school  organization,  being 
secondary,  had  proceeded  slowly.  By  reversing  the  order 
not  only  would  there  be  a  direct  multiplication  of  Sabbath- 
schools,  but  the  schools  thus  organized  would  also  in  their 
turn  create  a  large  and  steady  demand  for  books  and  school 
publications.  The  result  has  borne  out  this  expectation. 
In  1887,  17  colporteurs  distributed  and  sold  56,107  vol- 
umes and  established  59  schools.  In  1892,  72  Sabbatli- 
school  missionaries  organized  1084  new  schools,  reorgan- 
ized 311  schools,  and  distributed  89,024  volumes.  In  1887, 
17  colporteurs  distributed  3,984,419  pages  of  periodicals  and 
tracts ;  in  1892  the  distribution  reached  16,798,985  pages, 
of  which  2,601,629  pages  were  disposed  of  in  house-to-house 
visitations,  and  14,107,356  were  directly  granted  to  schools. 
But  we  must  add  to  the  actual  figures  another  class  of  re- 


HISTORICAL.  11 

suits,  namely,  the  growth  of  churches  out  of  this  work,  the 
impetus  given  to  the  missionary  work  of  our  own  and  other 
religious  bodies,  the  beginning  of  Christian  Endeavor,  Tem- 
perance, and  other  organizations,  and  the  beneficial  effects 
to  hundreds  of  communities  from  the  establishment  within 
them  of  Christian  institutions. 

The  Special  Committee  in  their  report  referred  to  the 
frequent  deliverances  of  the  General  Assembly  that  the 
Sabbath-school  work  of  the  Board  of  Publication  was  by  far 
its  most  important  feature,  and  that  both  Sabbath-school 
and  colportage  work  should  be  done  by  the  same  mission- 
aries. The  '  field  '  of  the  work  was  described  as  *  destitute 
regions,  not  necessarily  outlying  and  sparsely  settled,  but 
places  destitute  of  God's  Word  and  religious  teaching,  even 
in  our  largest  cities.'  The  work  was  '  to  enlist  the  children 
under  Christ's  banner.'  The  Church  doing  this  would  be 
'the  growing  Church,  the  aggressive  Church,  the  Church  of 
the  future.'  The  Standing  Committee  of  the  Assembly, 
Mr.  Franklin  L.  Sheppard,  Chairman,  in  presenting  the  an- 
nual report  of  the  Board  of  Publication  the  same  year,  also 
emphasized  previous  deliverances  of  the  Assembl}'^  to  the 
same  effect — the  purely  missionary  character  of  this  depart- 
ment of  the  work  among  the  spiritually  destitute — and  re- 
marked that  the  consolidation  of  the  two  above-named  de- 
partments marked  a  new  era  in  the  history  of  the  Board. 
It  is  interesting  to  quote  the  exact  words :  'An  era  rich  in 
hope  of  a  glorious  fruition  in  which  it  will  command  the 
love,  confidence,  and  financial  support  of  our  Church  as 
never  before  in  its  history,  and  in  which  it  shall  go  on  from 
strength  to  strength  in  the  blessed  work  of  spreading  the 
Gospel  of  Christ.' 

The  recommendations  of  the  Special  Committee  having 
been  adopted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  1887,  the  Board 
of  Publication  lost  no  time  in  carrying  them  into  effect. 
The  reorganization  of  the  Board,  recommended  by  the 
Special  Committee,  was  effected.  The  Rev.  E.  R.  Craven, 
D.  D.,  who  had  been  a  member  of  the  Special  Committee, 
had  already  been  chosen  to  fill  the  vacancy  occasioned  by 


12  SABBATH-SCHOOL    MISSION   WORK. 

the  death  of  the  Eev.  John  W.  Dulles,  D.  D.,  the  late  Sec- 
retary. The  appointment  had  been  approved  by  a  resolu- 
tion of  the  Assembly,  and  was  now  confirmed,  and  Dr. 
Craven  entered  upon  his  duties  as  Secretary  of  the  Board 
of  Publication  and  Sabbath-school  Work,  with  general  su- 
pervision of  all  the  departments.  The  two  departments  of 
Sabbath-school  and  Missionar}^  Work  were  made  one,  and 
Dr.  Worden,  whose  nomination  by  the  Special  Committee 
had  been  also  approved  by  the  Assembly,  was  chosen  Su- 
perintendent. 

Work  of  the  New  Department. 

The  Department  of  Sabbath-school  and  Missionary 
Work  being  thus  fairly  launched,  took  a  careful  view  of 
the  situation  and  proceeded  to  adapt  its  methods  to  the 
new  order  of  things.  Its  first  steps  wei:e  in  the  w^ay  of 
retrenchment  and  pruning.  It  had  to  face  a  debt  of 
about  $25,000,  equivalent  to  more  than  one-half  the  rev- 
enue of  the  Missionary  Department  the  preceding  year,  and 
it  was  not  yet  clear  how  the  Church  at  large  would  ap- 
prove the  change  of  plan.  The  staff  of  colporteurs  was 
reduced  to  an  effective  force  of  14,  and  the  name  '  colporteur' 
was  changed  to  '  Sabbath-school  Missionary.'  The  working 
force  was  increased  during  the  summer  of  1887  by  the  tem- 
porary emploj'ment  of  55  theological  students. 

At  the  end  of  the  first  year  the  work,  as  compared  with 
the  colportage  work  of  the  year  previous,  showed  an  in- 
crease in  Sabbath-schools  organized  from  59  to  73,  but 
there  was  a  falling  off,  as  was  to  be  expected,  in  the  dis- 
tribution of  literature  and  the  number  of  Sabbath-schools 
visited.  The  department,  however,  learned  its  first  hard 
lessons,  and  had,  moreover,  the  great  satisfaction  of  paying 
off  the  entire  debt  and  beginning  its  second  year  with  a 
balance  in  hand  of  $24,894.30.  The  response  of  the 
churches  to  the  statements  and  appeals  sent  out  was  lib- 
eral. "  Children's  Day  "  brought  in  over  $15,000  as  against 
$3000  the  preceding  year.  Six  hundred  and  twenty-four 
more  churches  contributed,  and  the  increase  from  Sabbath- 


HISTORICAL.  13 

schools  alone  was  between  $17,000  and  $18,000.     With  this 

substantial  mark  of  approval  from  the  Church  the  Board 

and   its    Missionary  Committee  and   Superintendent  took 

courage  and  proceeded  to  lay  out  the  work  on  a  broader 

scale. 

.    Survey  of  the  Field. 

A  careful  survey  of  the  field  at  this  time,  taking  the 
statistics  of  the  United  States  Census  for  1880  and  of  the 
International  Sunday-school  Convention  as  guides,  showed 
an  immense  disparity  between  the  population  of  young 
people  between  the  ages  of  5  and  21,  a  difference  of 
more  than  10,000,000 ;  and  after  making  all  reasona- 
ble allowances  for  children  of  Christian  families  not  at- 
tending Sabbath-schools,  and  for  every  other  explanation 
tending  to  lessen  the  disparity,  it  was  still  quite  evident 
that  the  work  before  the  Board  was  one  deserving  the  most 
serious  attention,  and  one  in  which  there  need  not  be  any 
overcrowding  or  interference  as  between  the  various  socie- 
ties engaged  in  the  same  general  field.  It  will  be  seen  in 
the  course  of  this  review,  that  after  a  lapse  of  4  years  this 
disparity,  notwithstanding  the  effective  work  done  by  our 
own  and  other  churches  and  societies,  has  grown  greater 
instead  of  less. 

It  may  be  well  to  notice  here  that  the  Sabbath-school 
work  of  the  Board  deals  with  two  distinct  lines  of  effort, 
missions  being  one  and  the  elevation  and  improvement  of 
existing  schools  being  the  other.  This  review  is  concerned 
chiefly  with  the  former  work,  and  the  latter  will  only  be 
referred  to  indirectly  when  we  come  to  inquire  into  the 
relations  of  the  school  to  the  Church.  It  should  be  borne 
in  mind,  however,  in  considering  the  question  of  expense, 
that  a  portion  of  this  is  chargeable  to  what  may  be  termed, 
for  distinction  sake,  the  educational  work. 

1888-89. 

In  1889  the  Standing  Committee  reported  to  the  General 
Assembly  the  carrying  out  of  the  instructions  of  the  As- 
sembly of  1887,  and  added  that   the   results  were  highly 


14  SABBATH-SCHOOL   MISSION   WORK. 

satisfactory.  The  staff  of  missionaries  had  been  increased 
to  34,  and  70  theological  students  had  been  employed  du- 
ing  the  summer  vacation  of  1888.  From  73  the  number  of 
new  schools  organized  had  sprung  up  to  831,  with  an  ag- 
gregate of  33,031  scholars  and  teachers  ;  45,884  families  had 
been  visited,  4113  public  addresses  delivered,  and  a  gratu- 
itous distribution  had  been  made  of  33,123  volumes  and 
2707  Bibles  and  Testaments.  But  this  does  not  represent 
the  entire  statistical  increase.  One  hundred  and  seventeen 
schools,  in  addition  to  the  831  above  referred  to,  had  been 
organized  under  a  standing  offer  from  the  Board  of  a 
full  school  equipment  from  their  stock  to  every  Sabbath- 
school  established  with  the  approval  of  any  local  Presby- 
tery. 

The  rule  laid  down  by  the  Board  for  the  guidance  of  its 
missionaries  was,  that  in  every  case  they  should  take  a  vote 
on  a  resolution  to  establish  a  Presbyterian  school,  but  they 
were  not  to  insist  upon  it  against  the  wishes  of  the  people. 
The  missionaries,  acting  upon  this  rule,  organized  Sabbath- 
schools,  but  it  does  not  appear  that  they  have  been  in  the 
habit  of  reporting  the  exact  denominational  status  of  the 
schools  when  organized.  The  statistical  reports  of  the 
Board  return  so  many  schools  without  distinction.  This 
fact  shows  the  interpretation  put  upon  the  instructions  of 
the  General  Assembly  by  the  Board,  namely,  that  the  mis- 
sionary character  of  the  work  was  to  rank  above  its  denom- 
inational character.  It  stamps  this  noble  offering  with  the 
broad  arrow  of  the  Kingdom  of  Christ.  The  missionaries 
were  directed,  however,  wherever  practicable,  to  place  the 
schools  under  the  care  of  a  Presbyterian  Church  session, 
and  to  keep  themselves  in  communication  with  the  Sy nod- 
ical Home  Missionaries  and  the  Presbyterial  Committees  on 
Home  Missions  and  Sabbath-school  work. 

The  STUDENT  WORK  during  the  summer  vacation  months 
attracted  much  notice.  More  than  one-half  of  the  schools 
reported  this  year  were  organized  by  these  young  men. 
The  late  honored  senior  Secretary  of  Home  Missions  wrote 
concerning  them  :  '  Wherever  these  students  went  they  did 


HISTORICAL.  15 

magnificent  service.'  This  special  branch  of  the  work  has 
been  continued  in  operation  up  to  the  present  time  with 
very  gratifying  results. 

1889-90. 

In  1890  the  Standing  Committee  report  to  the  General 
Assembly  that  the  Sabbath-school  work  had  proved  itself 
to  be  '  an  indispensable  instrument  of  church  edification 
and  church  extension.'  '  If  any  defect/  say  they,  '  should 
be  found  in  its  administration  it  may  readily  be  corrected.' 
They  do  not,  however,  point  out  any  defect.  On  the  con- 
trary;  they  go  on  to  say,  in  words  deserving  the  closest  at- 
tention :  '  The  direct  missionary  work  of  this  Board  is  largely 
that  of  a  forerunner  to  the  work  of  the  Board  of  Home 
Missions.  We  can  occupy  a  field  newly  opened  before  the 
home  missionary  can  reach  it.'  They  draw  a  picture  of 
the  daily  life  of  the  missionaries :  '  The  work  is  laborious 
and  full  of  vicissitude,  requiring  faith,  zeal,  and  tact  that 
are  not  extensively  found.  The  self-denying  Sabbath-school 
missionary  meets  with  every  variety  of  experience.  He 
pushes  on  under  the  burning  heat  of  summer  and  the 
biting  cold  of  winter.  He  puts  up  with  a  rough  diet  and 
rougher  lodgment.  He  faces  objections,  indifference,  rude- 
ness, and  even  opposition.  *  *  *  jj^  founds  the  school, 
appoints  its  officers,  instructs  them,  *  *  *  and  pro- 
ceeds to  the  next  station  to  repeat  the  useful  work  there.' 

In  this  year  (1889-90)  the  number  of  schools  organized 
was  1139,  in  addition  to  109  distinctively  Presbyterian 
Schools  organized  under  the  equipment  offer  previously 
referred  to.  Teachers  and  scholars,  40,378.  Other  schools 
visited,  2616.  Families  visited,  65,920.  Volumes  sold  and 
given  away,  53,031.  Bibles  and  Testaments,  6750.  The 
contributions  amounted  to  $71,532.27;  total  income,  $122,- 
327.01.  'Children's  Day'  produced  |28,000.  Of  the  117 
Presbyterian  schools  organized  the  previous  year  under  the 
equipment  offer  of  the  Board  the  ranks  remained  unbroken. 
Of  the  831  schools  organized  by  the  missionaries  474  sur- 
vived more  than  a  year,  221  had  disbanded,  some  of  them 


16  SABBATH-SCHOOL    MISSION   WORK. 

doubtless  to  be  again  gathered  together,  and  136  were  not 
reported. 

Some  other  new  features  present  themselves  in  the  work 
of  this  year.  Persons  of  means  come  forward  and  under- 
take the  support  of  individual  missionaries.  Sabbath- 
schools  in  the  wealthier  parts  of  the  country  resolve  to  do 
the  same.  To  encourage  the  latter  movement  the  Board 
offer  to  place  one  new  missionary  in  the  field  for  every 
Sabbath-school  sending  $550  towards  his  support,  the  salary 
of  the  missionary  being  $800.  Calls  for  missionaries  come 
in  from  the  South,  from  the  States  west  of  the  Mississippi, 
and  from  the  Pacific  Slope.  Inviting  fields  of  work  open 
up  among  the  colored  people  and  the  mountain  populations 
of  West  Virginia  and  Tennessee.  There  are  also  loud  calls 
for  home  missionaries  to  foster  schools  already  organized 
and  encourage  the  formation  of  churches.  Meanwhile  a 
system  of  missionary  correspondence  has  been  arranged, 
under  which  3000  and  more  contributing  Sabbath-schools 
receive  a  letter  every  three  months  from  a  missionary,  the 
condition  being  that  the  missionary  whose  letter  is  received 
is,  in  part,  supported  by  the  offerings  of  that  particular 
school.  Sympathy  is  thus  stimulated,  and  workers  and 
givers  are  brought  into  correspondence  with  each  other. 

1890-91. 

In  1891  the  Standing  Committee  report  to  the  General 
Assembly  that  the  mode  of  operations  is  more  systematized, 
and  that  Presbyteries,  pastors,  and  churches  are  showing 
increasing  interest.  '  The  facts,'  say  they,  '  indicate 
marked  and  healthful  progress.'  '  No  other  missionary 
work  presents  more  forceful  and  impressive  grounds  of  ap- 
peal.' In  this  year  the  staff  of  permanent  missionaries  was 
increased  to  53,  with  89  students  assisting  during  the  vaca- 
tion months.  The  schools  organized  were  1209,  with 
45,373  scholars  and  teachers.  One  hundred  and  ninety- 
five  Presbyterian  schools  were  organized  under  the  equip- 
ment offer.  Other  schools  visited  and  aided,  2567.  Public 
addresses,  6171.     Families  visited,  67,220.     Miles  traveled, 


HISTORICAL.  17 

306,115.  Of  the  schools  organized  the  previous  year,  714 
are  reported  as  alive  and  flourishing.  Urgent  calls  con- 
tinue to  come  in  from  different  parts  of  the  country  for 
missionaries.  '  Children's  Day  '  this  year  produced  $35,- 
000.  These  figures  are  evidently  the  mere  dry  skeleton 
of  the  story.  Read  between  the  lines  and  they  speak  elo- 
quently of  a  work,  the  details  of  which,  if  they  could  be 
written,  would  seem  like  a  romance.  Think  of  the  toils 
and  vigils  of  these  missionaries,  of  the  messages  of  broth- 
erly love  and  Christian  greeting  they  carry,  of  the  human- 
izing influences  flowing  from  their  labors,  of  the  bringing 
of  the  neglected  youth  of  the  land  to  the  feet  of  Jesus. 
There  is  no  estimating  the  permanent  good  done  by  this 
persistent  following  up  of  these  opportunities. 

The  QUESTIONS  OF  OVERSIGHT,  permanency,  and  the  de- 
velopment of  these  schools  into  churches  fastens  itself  more 
and  more  deeply  upon  the  attention  of  the  Board,  the  Sec- 
retary, and  the  Superintendent.  They  cannot  be  settled  by 
off-hand  rulings.  Not  one  of  these  1200  schools  organized 
this  year  can  be  regarded  as  one  too  many.  And  yet  how 
can  the  missionaries  give  effective  oversight  to  them  all  ? 
Anxious  thought  is  given  to  the  subject,  and  the  mission- 
aries are  counseled  to  exercise  judgment,  and  to  give  special 
attention  to  the  stability  of  their  work. 

1891-92. 

In  1892,  owing  probably  to  more  of  the  time  of  the  mis- 
sionaries being  occupied  than  before  in  the  care  of  existing 
schools,  we  find  a  diminution  in  the  number  of  new^  schools 
organized,  which  amount  to  961,  while  a  new  item  appears 
in  the  report  of  schools  reorganized  to  the  number  of  311. 
There  are  72  regular  missionaries,  assisted  during  the 
vacation  b}^  73  theological  students.  The  contributions  to 
the  work  are  $9000  in  excess  of  the  previous  year.  '  Chil- 
dren's Day'  brought  in  $45,000.  One  hundred  and  thirty- 
five  Presbyterian  schools  were  organized  under  the  Ecj^uip- 
ment  offer.  Families  visited,  68,777.  Public  addresses, 
7338.      Teachers   and    scholars   in    the   new  schools,  over 


18  SABBATH-SCHOOL    MISSION   WORK. 

49,000.  Other  schools  visited  and  aided,  3454.  Miles  trav- 
eled, 377,782.  Of  the  schools  organized  the  previous  year, 
742  are  alive  and  flourishing.  The  Standing  Committee 
report  to  the  Assembly  that  the  financial  exhibit  fur- 
nishes '  gratifying  testimony  to  the  efficiency  of  the  de- 
partment and  the  growing  confidence  of  the  Church,'  and 
with  regard  to  the  work  itself  they  say  :  '  It  is  the  pioneer 
of  the  Church,  the  voice  crying  in  the  wilderness.  In  quiet- 
ness and  without  observation,  trusting  in  God,  it  lays  the 
foundations,  prepares  the  way  for  the  organized  church, 
the  permanent  pastor,  and  also  the  ordinances  of  the  house 
of  God.  While  the  Christian  college  is  preparing  young 
men  for  the  ministry,  and  the  Board  of  Education  is  ex- 
tending its  helpful  aid,  this  Board  is  opening  fields  of  use- 
fulness. *  *  *  It  is  not  only  the  vanguard  of  the 
Church,  but  it  is  also  a  nursing  mother  to  the  households 
of  faith  it  establishes,  the  pastor's  most  efiicient  helper,  the 
friend  of  the  children,  the  educator  of  youth,  and  the  sol- 
ace of  old  age.' 

An  interesting  feature  of  this  year's  work  is  the  opening 
of  a  benevolent  department  for  furnishing  clothing  for  des- 
titute children.  In  response  to  the  appeal  of  the  Superin- 
tendent, boxes  of  clothing  valued  at  $8000  were  sent  to  the 
front,  and  at  least  6000  children  were  by  this  timely  aid 
enabled  to  attend  Sabbath-school  during  the  winter  of 
1891-2. 

This  brings  us  to  the  close  of  our  history  and  to  the  work 
of  the  year  1892-93,  of  which,  by  the  courtesy  of  the  Super- 
intendent of  the  Sabbath-school  and  Missionary  Department 
I  am  able  to  present  a  brief  summary  at  the  end  of  this 
section.  It  will  now  be  interesting  to  examine  into  the  cost 
of  the  work. 

Finances  of  the  Department. 

The  receipts  have  steadily  increased  from  the  date  of  the 
consolidation  in  1887.  In  1890  the  income  had  risen  to 
$122,327.01;  in  1890-91  to  $127,477.89;  in  1891-92  to 
$152,700.84. 


HISTORICAL.  .  19 

'  Childrens'  Day  '  offerings  grew  from  $28,000  in  1890  to 
$35,000  in  1890-91,  and  $43,000  in  1891-92. 

The  '  business  profits '  of  the  Board  of  Publication,  in- 
cluded in  the  income  of  the  Sabbath-school  and  Missionary 
Department,  were  in  1888-89,  $4461.36;  in  1889-90,  $11,- 
295.44 ;  in  1890-91,  $8344.99 ;  in  1891-92,  $29,803.22.  These 
'  business  profits '  have  for  the  period  under  our  review 
considerably  more  than  covered  the  entire  administrative 
expenses  of  the  department. 

The  total  expenditures  of  the  department  under  special 

consideration  have  been  as  follows  : — 

1888-89 $65,206  32 

1889-90 92,201  66 

1890-91 101,593  25 

1891-92 110,167  98 

$369,169  21 
An  analysis  of  the  expenditures  shows  the  following : — 

Per  cent. 

Salaries  and  expenses  of  missionaries 62.3 

Literature,  grants,  and  freight 17.2 

Other  departments  of  Sabbath-school  work 10.0 

Administration  expenses  (educational  and  missionary) 10.5 

100.0 

The  administration  expenses  compare  favorably  with 
those  of  every  other  society  whose  reports  I  have  studied, 
and  the  ratio  of  the.  same  to  the  whole  is  steadily  decreasing 
as  the  income  increases. 

The  average  cost  of  each  school  organized  has  been 
$74.76,  and  of  each  scholar  enrolled  $2.18,  based  on  the 
entire  yearly  expenditure  for  both  missionary  and  educa- 
tional purposes. 

Summary  of  Work. 

The  results  of  the  work  from  April,  1888,  to  April,  1892, 
four  years,  are  as  follows : — 

Schools  organized   and   reorganized,   including  'equipment' 

schools 4,938 

Scholars,  estimating  tliose  in  the  equipment  schools  at  an 
average  of  40  each 169,112 


20  SABBATH-SCHOOL    MISSION    WORK. 

Teachers,  about 17,984 

Sabbath-schools  other  than  the  above  visited  or  aided   ....         10,522 

Families  visited 235,024 

Public  addresses 23,512 

Churches  that  have  grown  out  of  the  schools 216 

Bibles  and  Testaments  given  away 15,772 

Other  books  given  away 241,331 

Pages  of  periodicals,  &c.,  given  away ■ 51,419,165 

Miles  traveled 11,163,967 

To  the  above  I  am  enabled  to  add  the  figures  for  1892-93, 
as  follows : — 

■Schools  organized 866 

Schools  reorganized 299 

Number  of  teachers  and  scholars 41,255 

Sabbath-schools  addressed 2,854 

Sabbath-schools  visited  or  otherwise  aided 3,326 

Volumes  distributed 67,988 

Periodicals  and  tracts  dis-tributed,  pages 17,135,385 

Bibles  and  Testaments 4,707 

Families  visited 67,789 

Addresses  made 7,936 

Miles  traveled 429,058 

Of  the  schools  organized  during  1891-92,  685  were  re- 
ported at  the  end  of  the  year  as  continued,  289  of  these 
being  summer  schools  and  396  'evergreen.'  Out  of  these 
•59  churches  have  grown. 

Location  op  Missionaries. 

The  present  location  of  the  missionaries  by  States  is  as 
follows : — 

California,  2;  Florida,  2;  Georgia,  1;  Indiana,  1;  In- 
dian Territory,  1 ;  Iowa,  3 ;  Kansas,  3  ;  Kentucky,  1 ;  Mich- 
igan, 4  ;  Minnesota,  5 ;  Missouri,  6  ;  Montana,  2  ;  Nebraska, 
7 ;  North  Carolina,  2 ;  North  Dakota,  1 ;  Ohio,  2 ;  Okla- 
homa, 2;  Oregon,  1;  Pennsylvania,  3;  South  Carolina,  1 ; 
South  Dakota,  5 ;  Virginia,  3 ;  Washington,  2 ;  West  Vir- 
ginia, 3  ;  Wisconsin,  2:  total,  65.  The  distribution  of  the 
student  missionaries  through  these  and  other  States  in  the 
summer  months  considerably  increases  the  results  of  the 
labors  of  the  regular  missionaries. 


GENERAL    PRINCIPLES.  21 


III. 

GENERAL  PRINCIPLES. 

It  is  important  that  the  general  principles  under- 
lying THE  Presbyterian  Sabbath-school  mission  work 
should  be  clearly  understood,  not  only  by  the  workers  in 
the  field,  but  by  pastors,  church  members.  Sabbath- school 
teachers  and  scholars,  and  all  who  are  interested  in  the 
advancement  of  the  Redeemer's  cause  and  the  growth  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  This  work  fills  its  appropriate 
place  among  other  similar  organizations — a  place  which 
they  cannot  fill.  It  is  a  work  which  appeals  to  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  particular,  not  so  much  on  the  ground  of 
denominational  zeal  as  on  the  ground  of  devotion  to  Christ. 
The  Presbyterian  Church  ought  not  to  leave  the  work  to 
other  hands.  She  is  strong  enough  to  rejoice  in  the  success 
of  kindred  societies,  but  it  would  be  a  shame  if  she  were  to 
make  those  successes  an  excuse  for  her  remissness.  It  will 
become  very  clear  as  we  proceed  that  all  and  more  than  she 
can  do  in  this  special  field  is  needed.  At  this  particular 
point,  then,  in  the  history  of  this  interesting  movement, 
when  it  has  lived  through  its  early  experiences  and  has 
proved  b}''  its  brilliant  record  of  results  that  it  has  a  right 
to  continue  to  live — when  its  managers  are  taking  a  quiet 
look  at  the  work  still  before  them  and  measuring  their 
strength  to  cope  with  it — it  is  well  to  inquire  into  the  prin- 
ciples on  which  the  movement  is  based  and  which  give  it  a 
special  claim  upon  the  loyal  support  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church. 

1.  Sabbath-schools  for  Sabbath-schools. — It  is  par- 
ticularly founded  upon  the  principle  that  young  people 
who  are  in  the  possession  of  Christian  privileges  should 
take  a  peculiar  interest  in  young  people  who  do  not  possess 
them.     In  other  words,  this  is  essentially  a  Sabbath-school 


22  SABBATH-SCHOOL    MISSION    WORK. 

movement.  It  is  a  work  of  Sabbath-schools  for  Sabbath- 
schools.  Such  was  not,  indeed,  the  exact  thought  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Sabbath-school  work  many  years  ago. 
The  Presbyterian  Church  as  a  whole  was  appealed  to. 
But  as  the  aggressive  character  of  the  work  became  more 
distinct  its  peculiar  relation  to  existing  schools  and  to  the 
young  people  of  the  churches  came  more  and  more  into 
view.  The  General  Assembly  of  1883  declared  that,  in  its 
judgment,  Sabbath-schools  should  alwa3^s  and  emphatically 
remember  the  Sabbath-school  missionary  work  in  their 
contributions,  and  this  feeling  has  been  growing  stronger 
and  stronger  every  3^ear  since  then. 

Here,  then,  is  a  practical  work  in  the  Presbyterian  Church 
which,  in  its  very  nature,  appeals  to  the  Sabbath -school  idea. 
Dr.  Worden  saw  his  opportunity,  and,  without  ignoring  the 
Church, made  his  appeal  specially  and  directly  to  the  schools, 
and  the  result  was  a  grand  success.  It  was  an  appeal  to  the 
young  on  behalf  of  the  young,  and  it  was  not  made  in  vain. 
Every  Presbyterian  Sabbath-school  in  the  land  promptly 
took  in  the  situation.  A  healthy  feeling  of  comradeship 
grew  up  as  a  work  of  such  vast  magnitude  unfolded  itself 
before  the  gaze  of  these  young  battalions.  Henceforth  the 
uplifting  and  improvement  of  teaching  and  methods  in 
Sabbath-school  work  is  to  be  associated  with  the  spirit  of 
Christian  missions.  To  spend  a  pleasant  hour  or  two  on  Sun- 
da3's  in  comfortable  church  parlors  and  class-rooms,  conning 
Bible  lessons  and  singing  pretty  hymns,  was  all  right,  but 
it  lacked  the  inspiration  of  a  grand  ambition.  When  the  facts 
and  figures  showing  the  spiritual  needs  of  millions  of  chil- 
dren and  youth  were  spread  before  the  Sabbath-schools,  and 
it  was  said  to  them,  'This  is  your  work,'  the  response  was 
prompt  and  hearty,  and  the  Sabbath -school  idea  was  com- 
plete. Other  agencies  for  doing  the  same  thing  have  made 
their  appeals  to  schools,  churches,  individuals,  on  the  general 
and  broad  ground  of  giving  to  a  good  cause.  The  appeal 
was  now  made  directl}^  to  the  '  esprit  de  corps '  of  the  Sab- 
bath-school— to  the  feeling  of  kinship,  of  brotherhood  and 
sisterhood,  of  the  young  for  the  3'oung.     It  woke  up  the 


GENERAL    PRINCIPLES.  23 

enthusiasm  of  a  mighty  army  languishing  for  an  enemy 
to  conquer.  To  the  rescue  of  the  children  !  The  appeal 
was  irresistible,  and  the  money  poured  into  the  treasury. 
And  mark  the  benefit  to  the  entire  Sabbath-school  connec- 
tion. The  institution  woke  up  to  new  life  now  that  it  had 
something  special  to  do  outside  of  itself.  Institutes,  Bible- 
correspondence  schools,  teachers'  classes,  gained  strength. 
The  pulse  of  the  school-life  beat  more  steadily.  To  have  a 
noble  object  before  us  makes  us  critics  of  ourselves.  There 
is  growth  by  exercise.  Dilettanteism  falls  before  a  mighty 
purpose.  Sabbath-schools  will  be  more  potent  for  good  in 
their  own  localities — more  strongly  knit,  too,  in  their  fellow- 
ship with  the  Church — in  proportion  as  they  feel  that  they 
are  helping  to  bear  the  burdens  of  the  great  world  outside. 
I  call  attention  to  this  first  general  principle  of  our  Presby- 
terian work,  that  it  gives  tone,  character,  energy,  and  pur- 
pose to  the  Sabbath-school  idea  in  the  Church. 

2.  Catholicity. — Another  principle  underlying  the  work 
is  its  genuine  catholicity.  Here  we  touch  an  important  fea- 
ture, on  which  there  may,  at  first,  appear  to  be  a  clashing  of 
motives.  Not  really  so.  It  is  noteworthy  that  while  this  work 
makes  its  appeal  primarily,  if  not  exclusively,  to  Presbyter- 
ians, the  work  it  is  doing  far  outreaches  the  merely  denom- 
inational idea.  Let  us  look  steadily  at  this  point.  There  is 
a  rationale  of  denominationalism  which  is  usually  accepted 
by  each  denomination  as  conclusive  in  its  own  case.  Each 
Church  appeals  to  the  loyalty  of  its  own  supporters,  and 
comforts  itself  that  in  so  doing  it  is  most  effectually  advanc- 
ing the  great  cause  common  to  each.  At  first  glance  it 
might  be  supposed  that  the  main  object  of  this  Sabbath- 
school  work  is  the  planting  of  Presbyterian  schools,  which 
shall  prepare  the  way  for  Presbyterian  churches.  That 
in  itself  alone  would  be  a  good  object.  It  is  indeed  one  of 
the  objects  of  this  work  naturally.  But,  as  I  have  already 
pointed  out,  it  is  not  the  first  nor  the  main  object,  which 
is  broadly  enumerated  in  the  deliverance  of  the  General 
Assembly — '  planting  Sabbath-schools  '  and  disseminating 


24  SABBATH-SCHOOL    MISSION    WORK. 

Christian  literature  '  in  places  destitute  of  God's  Word.' 
There  is  more  in  this  distinction  than  may  appear  at  first 
sight.  A  very  large  proportion  of  the  most  interesting  and 
valuable  work  before  the  Board  would  have  to  be  pushed 
aside  as  beyond  its  province  if  it  should  proceed  upon  the 
principle  that  it  must  never,  under  any  circumstances,  in 
its  Sabbath-school  work,  outstep  the  denominational  idea. 
It  would,  in  fact,  be  narrowing  and  limiting  the  denomina- 
tional work  itself  by  insisting  always  upon  doing  that  work 
and  nothing  else.  To  be  disloyal  to  a  Church  is  one  thing, 
but  to  forget  denominational  preferences  in  the  throb  of  a 
grander  motive  is  really  the  most  effective  way  of  showing 
loyalty  to  a  Church.  It  is  the  most  effective  way  in  the 
long  run  of  building  up  a  Church.  The  object  in  the  mis- 
sionary work  of  the  Church  is  not  so  much  to  make  Pres- 
byterians in  order  that  we  may  make  Christians,  as  to  make 
Christians  first,  by  God's  help,  and  Presbyterians  after- 
wards, if  it  be  God's  will.  To  make  Presbyterianism,  with 
its  lofty  ideals  of  character  and  purpose,  take  hold  on  a 
community,  we  must  often  so  work  as  to  lose  sight  of 
Presbyterianism.  This  is,  after  all,  genuine  Presbyterian- 
ism. '  There  is  that  scattereth  and  yet  increaseth.'*  The 
good  results  to  our  Church  through  this  Sabbath-school 
work  have  been  not  a  little  increased  and  intensified  by 
the  catholic  spirit  in  which  it  has  been  conceived  and 
carried  out  into  practice. 

3.  Fidelity  to  Presbyterian  Polity. — In  this  respect 
this  work  claims  to  represent  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and 
it  especially  proceeds  upon  a  frank  recognition  of  the  au- 
thority and  oversight  of  the  Presbyteries.  Its  mission- 
aries recommend  people  to  seek  the  brotherhood  and  aid  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  in  their  permanent  organization 
and  work.  They  conduct  their  business  in  accordance 
with  Presbyterian  rule.  It  is  an  order  of  the  General  As- 
sembly that  no  missionary  shall  labor  within  the  bounds 
of  any  Presbytery  without  consent  of  such  Presbytery.    In  at 

*  Prov.  xi.  24. 


GENERAL    PRINCIPLES.  25 

least  one  case  a  Presbytery  refused  to  give  its  consent,  and 
the  Board  submitted.  Probably  the  refusal  has  been  re- 
tracted by  this  time,  but  the  Presbytery  had  the  clear  right 
to  understand  what  it  was  asked  to  do  in  receiving  the 
missionaries  of  the  Board  under  its  oversight,  and  the  Board 
recognized  that  right  and  waited. 

On  entering  upon  their  duties  the  missionaries  confer 
with  the  proper  officers  of  the  Presbytery,  and  at  stated 
periods  they  report  to  the  Presbytery  the  results  of  their 
labors. 

The  Presbytery  therefore  has  full  authority,  and  this  prin- 
ciple is  lo3^all3^  accepted  as  one  of  the  leading  principles 
underlying  the  work. 

Other  points  in  this  connection  will  be  brought  out  under 
the  section  upon  the  relation  of  this  work  to  the  Church, 

4.  Fidelity  to  Evangelical  Doctrine. — This  is  still 
another  essential  principle  at  the  basis  of  this  work.  The 
Presbyterian  Church  is  a  conservative  church,  in  a  doctri- 
nal sense,  allowing,  indeed,  in  its  ministry  and  eldership  a 
large  liberty  in  the  interpretation  of  its  standards,  but 
quick  to  detect  any  divergence  from  essential  evangelical 
truth.  While  its  communion  is  open  to  all  who  unfeign- 
edly  confess  their  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  its  clergy 
are  supposed  to  be  duly  instructed  in  the  theology  of  the 
Reformation,  and  to  be  in  hearty  sympathy  therewith.  The 
ministry  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  is,  as  a  whole,  a  con- 
servative ministry.  While  tolerant  and  charitable  towards 
other  denominations  of  Christians,  it  '  holds  fast  the  form 
of  sound  words.'*  It  believes  in  the  permanence  of  revealed 
truth,  and  is  jealous  of  anything  that,  even  in  appearance, 
might  seem  to  detract  from  the  infallibility  of  the  Word  of 
God.  It  does  not  believe  in  turning  the  sanctuary  into  a 
debating  hall  or  a  lyceum.  The  Presbyterian  Church  also 
believes  in  orderly  church  government.  When  a  church  is 
established  in  any  town  the  community  have  the  guarantee 
of  a  great  historic  body,  reaching  with  its  influences  over 

*2  Tim.  i.  13. 


26  SABBATH-SCHOOL    MISSION    WORK. 

the  entire  world,  that  the  evangelical  truths  which  have  so 
signally  blessed  mankind  will  be  faithfully  preached,  and 
the  institutions  of  a  Christian  Church  maintained  and  car- 
ried on  in  an  orderly  way.  There  may  be  local  exceptions 
and  local  causes  of  trouble,  but  as  a  whole  the  Church  hon- 
orably sustains  this  reputation.  The  Sabbath-school  mis- 
sion reflects  this  principle,  and  makes  it  felt  among  the 
changing,  restless,  ambitious  people  of  the  newer  settle- 
ments of  our  country,  and  wherever  it  sets  up  its  banner. 
These  underlying  general  principles — Sabbath-schools 
for  Sabbath-schools,  Catholicity,  Fidelity  to  Presbyterian 
Polity  and  Doctrine — mark  out  for  this  Sabbath-school  mis- 
sionary work  of  our  Church  a  clear  and  definite  sphere. 
It  cannot  separate  itself  from  these  principles,  and  it  is  well 
that  the  principles  themselves  should  be  associated  in  the 
closest  degree  possible  with  the  aggressive  and  educative 
aims  of  this  work  among  the  children  and  youth  of  our 
land. 


THE    FIELD    OF    WORK.  27 

IV. 

THE   FIELD   OF   WORK. 

The  Sabbath-school  mission  work  of  our  Church 
is  a  home  institution,  having  its  field  of  operation  in  these 
United  States.  I  propose  to  bring  forward  some  important 
testimony  showing  the  disparity  between  the  membersliip 
of  Sabbath-schools  and  the  youthful  and  juvenile  popu- 
lation. 

Before  entering  upon  this  testimony  a  preliminary  point 
or  two  may  be  taken. 

The  Sabbath-school  in  America  has  grown  far  beyond 
the  Sunday-school  of  Robert  Raikes.  It  is  no  longer  an 
institution  for  poor  children  only,  but  for  children  and 
youth  without  regard  to  financial  or  social  condition.  It  is 
fast  growing  even  beyond  that,  inasmuch  as  it  includes  in 
its  membership  not  only  the  great  majority  of  the  youth  of 
our  churches,  but  also  a  great  number  of  adults  of  all  ages, 
who  are  attracted  to  it  by  the  opportunity  it  affords  them 
of  receiving  instruction  in  the  Bible.  For  this  reason  we 
may  expect  to  find  that  the  membership  of  Sabbath-schools 
is  very  large.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is  composed  to  a  very 
considerable  extent  of  persons  over  twenty-one  years  of  age 
and  of  persons  well  advanced  in  social  condition. 

Again,  the  extent  to  which  young  people  do  not  avail 
themselves  of  Sabbath -schools  when  within  easy  reach  of 
them  may  be  gathered  in  a  general  way  from  careful  ob- 
servation without  reference  to  statistics.  Go  into  any  city, 
town,  or  village  where  there  are  plenty  of  churches  and 
schools,  and  you  will,  if  you  look  around,  find  many  chil- 
dren and  young  people  not  in  attendance,  and  if  you  follow 
up  your  observations  with  questions  you  will  find  very 
many  not  even  enrolled,  even  among  those  who  seem  to 
stand  in  the  greatest  need  of  Christian  instruction. 

It  would  be  a  difficult  matter  to  estimate,  withjn   say  a 


28  SABBATH-SCHOOL    MISSION    WORK. 

million  or  two  the  extent  to  which  absence  from  the  Sab- 
bath-school of  young  people  indicates  want  of  religious 
training.  Due  allowance  must  be  made  for  cases  in  which 
parents  prefer  to  teach  their  children  at  home,  though  it  is 
to  be  feared  that  no  discoveries  which  might  be  made  on 
this  point  would  materiall}^  affect  the  result.  Allowance 
must  also  be  made  for  a  large  number  of  young  people, 
especially  young  men,  who  do  not'  regard  themselves  as 
ignorant  or  depraved,  or  even  as  indifferent  or  hostile  to 
the  Church,  but  who,  nevertheless,  for  one  reason  or 
another,  do  not  attend  Sabbath -school. 

Any  statistical  showing  must,  of  course,  be  discounted  by 
reason  of  the  above  considerations,  but  to  what  extent  it 
shall  be  discounted  must  be  a  matter  of  observation  and 
opinion.  The  disparity  between  the  Sabbath-school  enrol- 
ment and  the  figures  of  the  census  is  terrible,  and  would  be 
still  terrible  even  if  discounted  by  50  per  cent.,  which  will 
be  regarded  by  most  intelligent  observers  as  altogether 
too  liberal  an  allowance. 

There  are  entire  towns,  and  even  counties,  and  great 
numbers  of  such,  in  the  more  recently-settled  districts  of 
the  countr}^  that  are  without  Sabbath-schools,  and  there 
are  localities  within  comparatively  short  distances  of  wealthy 
churches  in  the  East,  both  in  cities  and  rural  places,  that 
need  the  Sabbath-school  missionary.  These  constitute  the 
special  field  of  this  great  work,  and  the  need  is  palpable  to 
every  worker,  without  the  aid  of  statistics. 

The  large  immigration  to  this  country  of  foreigners 
brings  many  young  people  into  the  list  of  absentees,  but 
at  the  same  time  opens  up  an  interesting  sphere  of  work 
peculiar  to  itself  in  connection  with  Sabbath-school  mis- 
sions. 

The  Roman  Catholic  population  is  included  in  our  sta- 
tistical inquiry,  and  wherever  it  has  been  necessary  to  re- 
sort to  the  rule  of  averages  has  been  placed  on  the  same 
footing  as  Protestants. 

Mormon  Sabbath-schools  have  not  been  counted  in,  as  I 
have    not  any  data  to  go   upon.      Their  absence  cannot, 


THE    FIELD    OF    WORK.  29 

however,    materially  affect   the   result,    the   population  of 
Mormons  to  the  entire  population  being  very  small. 

Statistics  of  the  Case. 

According  to  the  Census  for  1890  the  number  of  young 
people  in  the  United  States  above  4  and  under  21  years  of 
age  (I  shall  hereafter  term  these  the  youthful  population) 
was  at  the  time  of  the  census  22,447,392,  or  35.1  per  cent,  of 
the  entire  population.  Increase  since  1880,  4,127,560.  Aver- 
age rate  of  increase  per  annum,  412,756.  In  the  estimates 
of  the  International  Sunday-school  Convention,  the 
enrolment  in  Sabbath-schools  in  1890  is,  for  teachers  and 
scholars,  9,800,471.  In  this  estimate  no  Roman  Catholics 
are  included,  except  for  the  State  of  Maryland,  where  it 
seems  these  bodies  had  been  counted.  Taking  the  averages 
for  the  rest  of  this,  country  on  a  basis  of  a  Catholic  popula- 
tion of  8,632,521,  I  estimate  a  Catholic  youthful  population 
of  3,090,442,  and  of  these  I  shall  expect  to  find  about  one- 
third,  or  1,030,147,  in  Roman  Catholic  schools.  Deduct 
from  these  the  Catholic  enrolment  for  Maryland,  which  is 
17,144,  and  add  the  remainder  to  the  enrolment  figures 
of  the  Convention,  and  we  have  a  total  enrolment  of 
10,813,750.  This  is  for  1890,  and  shows  the  entire  mem- 
bership of  Sunday-schools,  including  teachers  and  adults. 
I  have  been  at  some  trouble  to  fix  upon  a  reasonable  esti- 
mate of  that  portion  of  the  membership  which  is  over 
21.  Some  persons,  whose  opinions  I  have  taken,  fix  the 
proportion  as  high  as  two-fifths  of  the  whole,  or  about  40 
per  cent.  There  are  not  a  few  schools  where  this  would  be 
true,  but,  on  the  whole,  I  prefer  to  take  about  25  per  cent, 
as  probably  nearer  and  yet  within  the  mark.*  The  Conven- 
tion figures  give  the  number  of  teachers  in  1890  as  1,151,- 
340.  I  take  the  same  figures  for  adults  in  Bible-clas.ses, 
and  reach  a  total  of  2,302,684  for  adult  teachers  and  mem- 
bers.   This  gives  us  a  net  youthful  membership  of  8,511,070. 

*  Where  a  deduction  of  adults  is  taken  from  the  number  of  scholars 
only  I  put  the  average  at  10  per  cent.  In  this  instance  the  deduction  is 
really  only  about  23  per  cent,  for  adult  teachers  and  scholars. 


30  SABBATH-SCHOOL    MISSION    WORK. 

I  apply  the  same  method  of  calcuhition  as  nearly  as 
possible  to  the  figures  for  1880,  and  reach  the  result  of 
6,517,208  youthful  membership.  Increase  for  10  years, 
993,862,  or  an  average  of  199,386  per  annum,  representing 
the  addition  of  scholars  above  4  and  under  21  years  of  age, 
whereas  the  increase  in  the  population  of  the  same  age  is 
412,756  per  annum.     The  gross  figures  stand  as  follows  : — 

1880.  1890. 

Youthful  population 18,319,830  22,447,392 

Net  enrollment 6,517,208  8,511,070 

Difference 11,802,622  13,936,322 


By  taking  the  International  Convention  figures  as  they 
stand,  and  making  any  reasonable  allowances  on  the  score 
of  Roman  Catholics,  adults,  and  an}'  other  considerations, 
the  reader  can  work  out  the  results  for.  himself.  He  will 
find  it  convenient  to  get  the  average  rate  of  annual  increase 
and  multiply  it  by  the  number  of  years  under  considera- 
tion, as  the  Convention  figures  do  not  give  an  estimate  for 
1880.  I  give  the  table  as  kindly  furnished  to  me  by  Mr. 
Frank  Woods,  Secretary  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
International  Conventions: — 


Conventions. 

Year. 

NlTMBER  OF 

Sabbath- 
Schools. 

Number  of 
Scholars. 

Number  of 

1  EACHERS. 

Totals. 

Baltimore 

Atlanta 

Toronto      

Louisville      

Chicago 

Pittsburgh 

1875 
1878 
1881 
1884 
1887 
1890 

69,871 
78,046 
84,730 
98,303 
99,860 
108,939 

5,790,683 
6,504,054 
6,820,835 
7,668,833 
8,048,772 
8,649,131 

730,060 

853,100 

932,283 

1,043,718 

1,118,265 

1,151,340 

6,543,708 
7,357,154 
7,753,118 
8,712,551 
9,156,737 
9,800,471 

We  have  then  the  astounding  result  that  whereas  there 
was  an  increase  of  the  youthful  population  in  10  years  of 
4,127,560,  the  increase  in  the  enrolment  of  youthful  scholars 
during  the  same  period  was  only  1,993,860,  or  40  per  cent, 
of  the  increase  only.  By  this  calculation  Sabbath  schools 
are  losing  ground  at  the  rate  of  60  per  cent,  of  the  increase 
of  youthful  population  every  year. 


THE    FIELD    OP    WORK.  31 

Of  course,  the  figures  are  approximate  only,  and  it  is  con- 
fessedly difficult  to  get  accurate  statistics  on  this  question. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  successive  International  Conven- 
tions have  been  represented  by  a  permanent  Executive 
and  Statistical  Committee,  who  have  been  at  great  pains  to 
gather  in  reliable  hiformation.  Their  tables  may  be  com- 
pared with  the  results  reported  by  five  Sabbath-school  Ex- 
tension Societies  for  1892. 

New 
Schools.        Scholars. 

American  Sunday-School  Union 1,664  59,551 

Presbyterian  Sabbath-school  Work 961  40,653 

Methodist    Episcopal  Sunday  School  TJnion  (net  in- 
crease)         256  27,280 

Baptist  Sunday-school  Society,  about 376  15,000 

Congregational  Sunday-school  Society,*  about  ....     500  20,000 

Totals 3,757  162,484 

The  above  returns,  except  those  of  the  Methodist  Society, 
which  are  net,  must  be  largely  discounted  by  reason  of 
lapsed  schools,  and  there  must  be  a  further  deduction 
from  the  whole  on  account  of  adult  scholars.  This  would 
bring  the  net  gain  from  these  5  societies  to  a  point  not 
far  from  133,000,  which  is  about  two-thirds  of  the  average 
increase  for  the  past  10  years, 

Testimony  from  Michigan. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  push  these  investigations  into 
the  different  States,  but  I  must  content  myself  with  one  ex- 
ample which  comes  to  my  hand  in  the  form  of  a  report  from 
the  Michigan  State  Convention  for  1892.  The  Secretary, 
Mr.  M.  H.  Reynolds,  of  Owosso,  Mich.,  has  evidently  been 
at  great  pains  to  get  at  the  facts  of  the  case.  Full  returns 
were  obtained  from  20  denominations,  and  personal  visits, 
inquiries,  and  careful  estimates  were  made  to  obtain  the 
facts  from  all  as  nearly  as  possible.     The  total  membership 

*  The  Baptist  and  Congregational  Societies  give  the  number  of  schools 
but  not  of  scholars.  I  therefore  credit  these  schools  with  about  40 
scholars  each,  that  being  a  full  average  per  school  for  the  American  Sun- 
day-school Union  and  Presbyterian  Sabbath-school  work  in  distinctively 
missionary  fields. 


32  SABBATH-SCHOOL    MISSION    WORK. 

(scholars  only)  of  Sabbath-schools  in  the  State,  includ- 
ing Roman  Catholic,  was  311,242.  If  we  apply  the  rule 
for  adults,  say  10  per  cent.,  we  find  280,118  of  the 
youthful  population  enrolled.  The  census  gives  a  total 
youthful  population  for  the  State  of  703,684,  so  that  the 
proportion  of  enrolled  to  non-enrolled  is  barely  40  per  cent., 
which  agrees  surprisingly  with  the  result  obtained  for  the 
whole  country.  The  International  Convention  of  1890  gave 
Michigan  277,200  enrolled  scholars.  The  increase  from 
1884  to  1892,  eight  years,  was  52,535,  taking  the  figures  of 
the  International  Convention  for  1884  and  the  figures  of 
the  State  Convention  for  1892,  less  10  per  cent,  for  adults  in 
each  case.  The  increase  of  3'outhful  population  from  1880 
to  1890  was  134,604,  and  the  average  annual  increase  in 
enrolment  was  49  per  cent,  of  the  average  annual  increase 
of  youthful  population.  It  is  therefore  not  surprising  that 
the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Michigan  State  Convention 
say  in  their  report  for  1892  : — 

We  desire  to  emphasize  the  supreme  importance  of  Sunday-School 
extension  work,  and  would  here  express  our  recognition  of  the  valuable 
services  rendered  this  year  by  Sunday-school  missionaries  employed  by 
the  several  denominations,  and  those  in  the  service  of  the  American  Sun- 
day-School Union,  not  overlooking  the  grand,  heroic  efforts  put  forth  by 
many  individual  Sabbath-school  workers. 

I  cannot  withhold  one  more  extract  from  the  report  of 
this  committee,  because  it  appears  to  strike  a  vital  point  in 
this  subject,  namely,  the  need  of  a  wise  co-operation  and 
comity  between  the  various  societies  and  churches  engaged 
in  this  work  : — 

The  fact  is,  no  individual  church  or  denomination  can  answer  the 
question  as  to  the  adequacy  or  efficiency  of  Sunday-School  work  for  the 
requirements  of  a  given  area ;  it  can  only  answer  within  the  boundaries 
of  its  own  denomination,  and  when  every  denomination  has  given  its 
own  answer,  there  will  be  found  a  hiatus  of  unclaimed  territory  which 
cannot  be  covered  without  the  co-operation  of  the  various  sections  of  the 
Church. 

Testimony  of  Other  Societies. 

1.  The  American  Sunday-School  Union  is  entirel}^ 
undenominational.     It  has  been  in  existence  68  vears  and 


THE    FIELD    OF   WORK,  33 

has  done  a  noble  work.  It  now  maintains  over  100  perma- 
nent missionaries,  and  has  organized  an  average  of  more 
than  1302  new  Sabbath-schools  every  year.  Last  year  it 
organized  1664  schools,  with  66,569  scholars  and  teachers. 
Other  schools  visited  and  aided,  2127.  Visits  to  families, 
56,582.     Bibles  and  Testaments  distributed,  15,573. 

The  first  object  of  the  Society  is  to  establish  a  Sunday- 
School  in  every  needy  neighborhood,  and  the  second  is  to 
diffuse  abroad  a  healthful  religious  literature. 

It  instructs  its  missionaries  to  visit  and  foster  the  schools 
until  they  reach  a  position  of  permanency  and  strength. 
It  records  the  number  of  accredited  conversions  through 
the  evangelistic  services  of  its  missionaries,  and  encourages 
the  growth  of  churches  of  any  evangelical  denomination 
from  the  schools.  In  the  annual  report  are  incorporated 
reports  from  each  of  the  district  superintendents,  and  vol- 
uminous extracts  from  letters  from  missionaries.  The 
expenditure  of  this  Society  for  1891-2  was  $105,988.  It 
says : — 

When  a  great  country  over  3000  miles  long  by  nearly  2000  miles  wide — 
an  area  about  as  large  as  Great  Britain  and  all  Europe — is  to  be  covered 
with  a  net- work  of  Bible  schools  so  completely  that  one  shall  be  sustained 
in  every  village,  hamlet,  farming  and  mining  settlement  over  this  broad 
territory,  the  work  demands  an  aggregation  of  wisdom,  experience, 
wealth,  and  of  Christian  forces  commensurate  with  the  gigantic  char- 
acter of  the  enterprise.  *  *  *  Nor  is  the  field  growing  more  limited, 
but,  on  the  contrary,  owing  to  immigration  and  extension  of  railways, 
which  produce  constantly  changing  centres  in  the  New  South  and  the 
great  West,  the  field  is  yearly  becoming  larger  and  the  demands  growing 
more  imperative. — Report,  1892. 

The  Rev.  J.  H.  McCuUagh,  Superintendent  of  the  South 
District,  writes : — 

The  year's  work  has  demonstrated  the  great  necessity  for  increasing 
our  missionary  force.  There  are  373,724  children  of  a  school  age  in 
Tennessee  who  receive  no  Sabbath-school  instruction.  There  are  250,000 
in  Georgia  in  the  same  sad  condition.  In  this  district  there  are  2,700,000 
growing  up  without  Bible  instruction. — Eeport,  1892. 

Mr.  J.  W.  Armstrong,  of  Washington  State,  writes : — 

I  have  never  lived  in  any  place  where  the  people  are  so  hard  to  reach 
and  lead  to  Christ  as  they  are  in  this  country.    My  only  hope  is  in 


34  SABBATH-SCHOOL   MISSION   WORK. 

reaching   the    children.    *     *     *    The  country   is  deluged  with  sin. 

*  *  *  The  churches  are  doing  the  work  only  to  a  very  limited  ex- 
tent.—Report,  1891. 

Mr.  F.  G.  Ensign,  Superintendent  of  Northwestern  Dis- 
trict, writes : — 

The  need  for  this  movement  is  becoming  urgent  and  almost  alarming 
in  many  of  our  Western  communities.  *  *  *  Many  of  the  young 
people  will  come   up  to   manhood  with  no   knowledge  of  the  Bible. 

*  *  *  If  this  goes  on  for  the  next  20  years  as  it  has  been  going 
for  the  last  25,  the  problem  of  home  evangelization  will  be  doubly  diffi- 
cult.—Report,  1891. 

Mr.  W.  L.  De  Groff,  Superintendent  of  Rocky  Mountain 
District,  writes : — 

The  relation  of  the  Sunday-School  work  to  the  future  of  this  nation  is 
probably  more  vital  in  this  district  than  in  any  other  area  of  equal  ex- 
tent in  our  country.  The  necessities  are  imperative,  the  possibilities 
thrilling  and  grand,  and  the  consequences  of  neglect  are  appalling. 

Kansas  has  509,614  school  population,  and  a  Sunday-School  member- 
ship of  246,554 ;  Colorado  has  94,963  of  school  age,  with  36,225  in  Sunday- 
schools  ;  AVyoming  (estimated),  18,000  of  school  age,  with  3341  in  Sunday- 
scho6ls;  New  Mexico  claims  40,000  of  school  age,  and  1570  reported  in 
Sunday-schools;  Utah,  14,647  of  school  age  (Gentile),  and  47,325  (Mor- 
mon), and  7295  in  Sunday-schools.  These  figures  indicate  that  the  best 
sections  show  that  not  above  40  per  cent,  of  the  children  and  youth  are 
in  the  Sunday-schools,  and  the  less  favored  less  than, 20  per  cent. — Re- 
port, 1891. 

In  the  prologue  entitled  "  Our  Work,"  the  Secretary  of 
the  Society  writes  : — 

The  population  of  the  country  is  increasing  now  more  rapidly  than  the 
Sunday-schools.  The  field  widens ;  souls  are  perishing,  for  Satan  is  not 
idle.— Report,  1891. 

2.  The  Congregational  Sunday-School  Society  is 
doing  a  work  perhaps  more  akin  to  our  own  in  some 
respects  than  even  the  American  Sunday-School  Union. 
It  has  been  in  operation  almost  62  years,  and  has  now  in 
the  field  about  40  missionaries  and  superintendents.  Its 
work  has  greatly  expanded  during  the  last  decade,  its  in- 
come for  the  past  3  years  averaging  about  $60,000  a 
year,  the  expenditures  being  about  the  same  amount. 
During  these    3   years   it   established  through   the  labors 


THE    FIELD    OF    WORK.  35 

of  its  missionary  staff  1513  new  schools,  or  an  average  of 
500  schools  a  year. 

The  last  triennial  report  of  this  Society  contains  a  state- 
ment of  general  principles  by  which  its  agents  are  to  be 
guided.  Summarized,  these  may  be  stated  as  follows : 
Work  to  be  judged  by  its  character  and  permanence  rather 
than  by  its  amount.  Local  churches  to  be  enlisted  in 
Sunday-school  mission  work.  Standard  of  teaching  to  be 
kept  as  high  as  possible.  Schools,  if  possible,  to  be  placed 
in  relation  with  a  church,  so  as  to  secure  some  oversight 
and  Qccasional  preaching.  Grouping  of  small  schools  to 
be  encouraged.  Liberal  aid  to  be  given  at  the  start,  but 
self-help  steadily  drawn  out.  Organization  of  churches 
not  the  work  of  the  Society,  but,  when  thought  desirable,  a 
council  of  churches  or  the  assent  of  the  Home  Missionary 
Society  to  be  obtained.  The  need  of  the  Gospel  to  be  re- 
garded equally  with  denominational  growth. 

Allowing  for  ecclesiastical  differences,  these  general  prin- 
ciples are  almost  identical  with  those  of  our  own  Society. 

I  give  the  following  extracts  from  the  reports  of  this 
Society : — 

"We  believe  that  this  work  is  to  be  in  the  future,  as  in  the  past  few 
years,  an  important  element  in  the  advancement  of  the  Kingdom  of 
Christ,  and  that  this  laying  of  foundations  on  which  the  superstructure 
of  a  thoroughly  Christian  civilization  is  to  be  built  is  of  vital  importance 
to  the  salvation  of  our  land.  We  are  content,  then,  to  go  on,  limited 
only  by  the  means  intrusted  to  us  to  administer.  If  we  can  only  con- 
tinue to  plant  500  Sunday-schools  a  year,  and  to  see  50  Congregational 
churches  grow  from  them  each  year,  as  has  been  the  case  for  the  last  3 
years,  we  shall  feel  that  the  work  abundantly  justifies  the  effort.  If  the 
great  cause  of  Home  Missions,  of  which  this  is  only  a  part,  could  take  the 
hold  upon  the  consciences  and  contributions  of  our  Christian  people  of 
large,  and,  as  well,  of  moderate,  means,  this,  as  well  as  all  our  depart- 
ments, could  easily  be  doubled  in  efforts  and  results. 

Referring  to  the  older  Western  States  the  report  says: — 

There  are  in  all  these  States  neglected  regions  which  need  tlie  same 
kind  of  pioneer  missionary  work  which  is  found  necessary  in  the  newer 
territories.  Constantlj'  increasing  demands  are  made  upon  us  for  the  in- 
crease of  workers  in  the  rapidly  growing  States  and  Territories  of  the 
new  West  and  the  Pacific  Coast. — Report,  1891. 


36  SABBATH-SCHOOL   MISSION   WORK. 

Then,  again,  quoting  from  the  Rev.  G.  H.  Atkinson,  D.  D., 
Secretary  of  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society  in 
Oregon  : — 

Had  you  begun  10  or  20  years  sooner,  we  could  have  had  many  more 
churches  in  Oregon. — Report,  1891. 

3.  The  Baptist  Sunday-School  work  is,  like  our  own, 
conducted  as  a  department  of  the  Publication  Society.  Its 
aim  '  is  to  put  into  each  State  and  Territory  of  the  Union  a 
first-class  State  Sunday-School  missionary,'  giving  his  entire 
time  to  organizing  all  the  Baptist  Sunday- School  forces  of 
the  State  for  efficient  work,  to  forming  new  schools  '  where- 
ever  they  are  needed  and  can  be  sustained,'  and  to  im- 
proving the  instruction  in  all  existing  schools.  This  Society 
organized  376  schools  in  1891-2,  besides  doing  other  mis- 
sionary work.  It  has  been  in  existence  68  years,  and  during 
that  time  has  organized  9303  schools.  From  a  little  hand- 
book published  by  the  Society,  and  called  '  A  Helper,'  I 
quote  : — 

More  missionaries  are  needed  in  every  State  of  the  Union.  Men  are 
read}'^  and  waiting ;  only  the  means  to  send  them  into  the  field  and  keep 
them  there  are  wanting.  *  *  *  We  ought  to  organize  1000  new  Sun- 
day-Schools every  year ;  and  it  can  be  done  if  the  schools,  churches,  and 
individuals  will  furnish  the  money.' 

4.  The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  has  a  Sunday- 
School  Union  '  designed  to  advance  the  interests  and  pro- 
mote the  cause  of  Sabbath-schools  in  connection  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States  and  else- 
where.' It  has  6  departments — statistics,  benevolence,  in- 
struction, periodicals,  publications,  Epworth  League.  The 
Corresponding  Secretary,  Rev.  Dr.  Jesse  L.  Hurlbut,  in  his 
last  report  to  the  General  Conference,  says :  '  We  are  con- 
vinced that  the  Sunday-School  lies  as  near  to  the  heart  of 
the  Church  as  ever;  that  its  work  in  general  is  improving 
in  quality ;  and  that  it  is  more  than  ever  recognized  not  as 
an  independent  institution,  but  as  a  part  of  the  Church  or- 
ganization, nurtured  by  the  care  of  the  Church,  supported 
by  the  resources  of  the  Church,  and  directed  by  the  authori- 


THE    FIELD    OF    WORK.  37 

ties  of  the  Church.'  The  receipts  for  the  year  (wholly  be- 
nevolent) were  $2o,241.81,  and  the  disbursements  $30,885.51. 
It  gives  grants  of  books,  materials,  &c.,  to  the  home  field, 
and  grants  of  money  to  the  foreign  field.  The  report  does 
not  give  the  number  of  new  schools,  but  the  net  increase 
for  1892  over  1891  was  730  schools  and  42,916  scholars  in 
all  lands.  Deducting  the  increase  in  foreign  lands,  there 
remain  256  schools  and  27,280  scholars  for  the  home  field. 
Of  these  latter  141  schools  were  organized  by  the  special 
aid  of  what  is  termed  '  The  Rindge  Fund,'  a  gift  of  $25,000 
by  Mr.  Frederic  H.  Rindge,  of  California,  for  the  express 
purpose  of  establishing  new  Sabbath-schools.  About  $4000 
of  this  money  was  used  for  the  above  purpose,  but  the 
amount  is  not  included  in  the  general  receipts. 

5.  The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United 
States  has  an  Association  called  the  American  Church  Sun- 
day-school Institute,  having  as  president  this  year  the 
Right  Rev.  Bishop  Whitaker,  of  Pennsylvania,  and  for  its 
Secretary  the  Rev.  Francis  J.  Clay  Moran,  B.  D.,  Archdeacon 
of  Maryland.  The  object  is '  to  associate  clergymen,  teachers, 
and  others  interested  in  Sunday-school  work  ;  to  provide  op- 
portunities for  consultation  as  to  the  best  means  of  carrying 
on  Sunday-schools ;  and  generally  to  promote  the  efficiency 
of  this  branch  of  Church  work  throughout  the  United 
States.'  The  work  is  diocesan  in  character,  and  I  am  not 
aware  that  the  Institute  employs  missionary  agents  to  estab- 
lish schools,  or  that  it  publishes  statistics.  In  Pennsylvania, 
which  is  the  largest  diocese  in  the  country,  there  is  a  Sun- 
day-school Association,  working  in  harmony  with  the  In- 
stitute. This  Association  publishes  '  The  American  Church 
Sunday-school  Magazine/  edited  by  the  Rev.  Richard  N. 
Thomas,  a  publication  of  great  merit,  and  circulating 
largely  through  the  entire  country.  In  the  number  for 
September  the  total  Sunday-school  membership  of  the 
country  at  the  present  time  is  estimated  at  12,000,000- 
This  is  naturally  higher  than  the  estimate  of  the  Interna- 
tional Convention  of  1890,  and  allows  for  a  growth  of  two 


38  SABBATH-SCHOOL  MISSION    WORK. 

years.  At  this  estimate,  after  deducting  25  per  cent,  for 
teachers  and  adults,  the  result  would  be  a  youthful  mem- 
bership of  9,000,000,  and  as  against  this  we  must  allow  for 
the  increase  in  youthful  poj^ulation  since  1890. 

Conclusions. 

In  the  light  of  the  above  facts  and  figures,  supported  by 
the  testimony  adduced,  I  feel  no  difficulty  in  arriving  at 
the  following  conclusions  in  reference  to  this  part  of  our 
subject : — 

1.  The  vast  extent  and  rapid  development  of  this  country, 
unprecedented  in  the  annals  of  civilization,  demand  of  every 
branch  of  the  Church  of  Christ  the  putting  forth  of  her 
best  energies  in  the  work  of  home  evangelization. 

2.  The  Sabbath-school  missionary  work  is  an  important 
and  necessary  feature  of  home  evangelization. 

3.  While  the  various  churches  and  societies  should  en- 
courage each  other  to  effort  by  a  zealous  and  worthy  emu- 
lation, it  is  the  duty  of  all  to  manifest  and  practice  true 
inter-denominational  comity. 


RELATION  OF  SABBATH-SCHOOL  WORK  TO  THE  CHURCH. 


V. 

RELATION  OF  SABBATH-SCHOOL  MISSION  WORK 
TO  THE  CHURCH. 

Does  Sabbath-school  Mission  Work,  as  Conducted 
BY  THIS  Board  in  any  way  set  aside  or  disparage  the 
Preaching  of  the  Gospel  and  the  other  Institutions 
OF  the  Church?  Here  and  there  this  question  is  asked 
as  if  in  criticism,  and  it  deserves  a  reply. 

As  to  Intention. — Tlie  motives  of  all  those  who  in  any 
way  have  been  parties  to  the  movement  have  unquestion- 
ably been  entirely  sound  on  this  point.  The  employment 
of  the  Sabbath-school  for  missionary  purposes,  as  a  sub- 
ordinate arm  of  the  Church,  subject  to  the  authority  and 
oversight  of  the  Church,  has  been  steadily  kept  in  view  at 
every  step.  The  men  appointed  to  serve  on  the  Board  of 
Publication  and  the  Sabbath-school  Missionary  Committee 
are  loyal  to  the  Church  to  the  backbone.  So  are  the  offi- 
cers of  the  Board.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Craven  was  for  33  years 
pastor  of  the  Third  Presbyterian  Church  of  Newark,  New 
Jersey,  has  repeatedly  been  a  member  of  the  General  As- 
sembly, and  was  in  1885  its  Moderator.  He  was  also  Chair- 
man of  the  Committee  on  the  Revision  of  the  Book  of 
Discipline,  and,  as  we  have  already  seen,  on  the  Special 
Committee  on  Publication.  Dr.  Craven  would  be  the  first 
to  detect  and  disapprove  any  tendency  towards  a  separation 
of  the  Sabbath-school  work  from  Church  work. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Worden  has  been  laboring  for  many  years 
among  Sabbath-school  workers  for  the  recognition  by  them 
of  the  principle  of  the  control  of  Sabbath-scliools  by  the 
Church.  His  views  have  been  widely  diffused  in  two  hand- 
books circulated  among  teachers, '  The  Westminster  Normal 
Class  Outlines,'  issued  by  the  Board  of  Publication  in  1879, 
and  '  The  Bible  Teachers'  Guide ;  or.  Methods  of  Work  in 
the  Sabbath-school,'  issued  by  the  Board  in  1892.     In  the 


40  SABBATH-SCHOOL    MISSION   WORK. 

former  there  is  a  lesson  on  the  Church  and  the  Sabbatli- 
school  in  which  the  above  principle  is  fully  set  forth. 
From  the  latter  I  give  one  or  two  extracts  as  specially 
pertinent  to  this  inquiry,  the  first  being  a  quotation  from 
the  Presbyterian  Digest : — 

The  Sabbath-school  is  not  independent  of  the  Church.  It  is  simply 
one  form  of  the  Christian  activity  of  the  Church,  one  of  the  regular 
Church  services.  The  Sabbath-school  is  one  with  the  Church  in  the  unit 
of  its  composition— in  the  persons  constituting  it,  in  the  government  con- 
trolling it,  in  the  doctrines  taught  in  it,  and  in  the  work  done  by  it. 

The  Sabbath-school,  like  all  the  religious  institutions  and  agencies  of 
the  Church,  is,  and  ought  to  be,  under  the  watch  and  care  of  the  Session. 

The  Session  should  be  satisfied  of  the  knowledge  and  piety  of  those 
who  teach  in  the  Sabbath-school. 

He  fortifies  these  points  with  testimony  from  persons 
eminent  in  Church  and  Sabbath -school,  to  the  effect  that 
the  latter  is  the  product,  the  child,  the  auxiliary,  the  friend 
of  the  former,  and  should  be  under  her  control. 

The  reports  of  the  department  are  very  clear,  as  the  fol- 
lowing extract  will  show  : — 

This  department  constantly  recognizes  and  urges  upon  its  mission- 
aries that  Sabbath-school  mission  work  is  for  the  Church  of  Christ.  The 
Church  is  regarded  by  it  as  the  divinely-ordained  teacher,  preacher,  and 
reformer  of  the  world,  and  its  missionaries  are  instructed  to  establish  and 
sustain  Sabbath-schools  in  such  places  and  in  such  a  way  as  to  aflFord  rea- 
sonable hope  that  they  may  become  organized  churches. 

I  dwell  upon  this  point  particularly,  because  of  a  growing 
tendency  in  some  directions  to  draw  a  broad  line  between 
the  Sabbath-school  and  the  Church,  giving  to  the  former 
an  independent  existence  and  government,  by  virtue  of 
which  it  enters  into  a  kind  of  partnership  with  the  Church, 
but  repudiates  its  control.  The  Sabbath -school  without 
Church  oversight  is  lacking  in  an  essential  condition  of 
true  spiritual  prosperity. 

But  whatever  ma}^  be  the  tendency  in  regard  to  Sabbath- 
schools  in  any  other  connection,  it  may  be  truly  affirmed 
of  those  established  b}'-  the  Board  that  they  are  organized 
with  a  distinct  recognition  of  their  true  relation  to  the 
Church,  and  of  the  subordination  of  the  work  to  the  preach- 


RELATION  OF  SABBATH-SCHOOL  WORK  TO  THE  CHURCH.   41 

ing  of  the  Gospel  and  the  planting  of  Christian  institutions 
in  their  entiret3^ 

It  may  be  asked,  '  How  can  a  Sabbath-school  be  under 
the  control  of  a  Session  when  there  is  no  local  church?' 
The  answer  is,  of  course,  '  By  delegated  authority.'  Our 
Church  fully  supplies  this  when  it  authorizes  this  Board  to 
place  the  schools,  if  possible,  under  the  care  of  the  nearest 
church  Session.  In  many  cases  this  cannot  be  done.  What 
then  ?  The  schools  come  under  the  oversight  of  the  Pres- 
bytery. But  what  if  this  is  more  nominal  than  real  ?  In 
that  case  the  work  must  be  regarded  as  defective,  and  the 
remedy  supplied  as  soon  as  possible.  But  what  if  the  Sab- 
bath-school thus  called  into  existence  should  object  to  being 
placed  under  the  control  of  a  neighboring  Session  ?  What 
if  it  should  repudiate  denominational  control  altogether? 
Answer — We  have  no  remedy  in  such  a  case,  except  exhor- 
tation, influence,  and  counsel ;  and  certainly  we  must  ac- 
cord to  the  parties  forming  the  membership  of  the  school 
a  right  to  determine  their  own  ecclesiastical  connection. 
Meanwhile  the  Church  herself,  which  is  higher  than  the 
Session,  authorizes  the  Society  to  go  on  organizing  schools, 
and  endeavoring  to  lead  them  into  the  fold  of  the  Church. 

As  TO  Fact. — These  schools  and  the  missionaries  are 
doing  the  work  and  bidding  of  the  Church  and  of  the  Mas- 
ter in  carrying  the  Gospel  message  to  all  people.  The 
preaching  of  the  Gospel  may  be  defined  by  some  as  the  de- 
livery of  sermons,  but  it  has  also  a  broader  meaning.  It 
means  the  carrying  of  the  Gospel  so  as  to  make  others  ac- 
quainted with  it.  But,  even  in  this  single  item  of  preach- 
ing, the  missionary  Sabbath-school  is  invariably  an  ally  of 
the  Church.  There  may  be  places  where  the  people  are  so 
few  that  a  church  organization  or  building  may  be  out  of 
the  question,  but  the  school  invariably  begets  an  appetite 
for  preaching. 

In  the  history  of  nonconformity  in  England  the  multi- 
plication of  '  preaching  stations,'  especiall}'  in  rural  districts, 
or   villages   adjacent  to  a  large  town,  has  always  been  a 


42  SABBATH<-SCHOOL    MISSION    WORK, 

noticeable  feature.  It  is  a  very  common  thing  to  have  little 
Sabbath-schools  connected  with  these  preaching  stations, 
both  being  under  the  oversight  of  some  neighboring  non- 
conformist church.  The  good  done  by  these  little  conven- 
ticles cannot  be  over-estimated.  In  this  country,  with  its 
exceptionally  vast  distances,  and  the  multiplication  of  set- 
tlements and  towns,  there  must  be  an  adaptation  of  means 
to  ends.  If  the  Church  cannot  send  ordained  ministers 
and  build  churches  fast  enough,  let  her  multiply  her  Sab- 
bath-schools and  preaching  stations. 

Does  the  Sabbath-school  work  strengthen  and  build 
UP  THE  Presbyterian  Church  ? 

This  question  is  a  fair  one,  and  I  have  been  at  pains  to 
arrive  at  trustworthy  conclusions.  The  reply,  of  course,  is 
in  the  affirmative.  It  is  building  up  and  strengthening 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  To  what  extent  we  may  pres- 
ently be  able  to  form  an  opinion. 

Generally  speaking,  it  may  be  reasoned  that  any  work  of 
this  nature  conducted  by  persons  in  entire  sympathy  with 
a  particular  Church,  disseminating  its  literature  by  whole- 
sale, presenting  the  polity  and  doctrines  of  that  Church  be- 
fore the  public  in  the  most  favorable  light,  cannot  do  other- 
wise than  strengthen  and  build  up  that  Church.  But  the 
work  of  this  Board  is  conducted  on  broad  and  catholic 
principles,  and  a  large  proportion  of  the  good  results  may 
and  probably  do  flow  to  other  denominations.  It  will  be 
interesting,  therefore,  to  ascertain  in  some  rough  way,  as 
nearly  as  we  can,  what  proportion  of  the  good  done  flows 
into  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  what  proportion  may  be 
regarded  as  an  offering  from  the  Church  to  the  general 
cause  without  regard  to  our  own  denominational  increase. 
To  this  point  I  shall  presently  come. 

Difficulties  in  the  Inquiry. 

The  Statistics  of  the  Church,  as  presented  in  the 
Minutes   of  the  General  Assembly,  or  as  obtainable  from 


RELATION  OF  SABBATH-SCHOOL  WORK  TO  THE  CHURCH.   43 

Presbyterial  sources,  do  not  assist  us  materially.  They  give 
with  a  close  approach  to  accuracy  the  statistics  of  the 
churches  as  to  locality,  designation,  membership,  and  con- 
tributions, but  the  columns  devoted  to  Sabbath -schools  are 
very  defective,  and  any  general  conclusions  based  upon 
them  will  be  far  astray.  This  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  for 
the  means  of  collecting  and  verifying  school  statistics  are 
much  less  effective  than  those  for  collecting  the  data  of 
the  churches.  In  the  Minutes  for  1892,  more  than  1000 
churches,  many  of  them  very  large  and  influential,  make 
no  return  whatever  of  their  Sabbath-school  membership. 
In  some  cases  the  returns  of  the  preceding  year  are  given 
for  want  of  later  information.  The  names  and  locations 
of  Sabbath-schools  where  there  are  no  churches  are  not 
given. 

There  must  be  many  Sabbath-schools  identified  with  our 
Church  which  are  not  recorded  in  the  Minutes,  simply  be- 
cause no  church  Sessions  have  taken  them  under  their  care, 
or  because,  having  done  so,  no  report  of  the  fact  has  been 
made  to  the  Stated  Clerk  of  the  Presbytery.  This  doubtless 
accounts  for  many  omissions.  The  whole  subject  needs 
looking  after.  The  Sabbath-school  missionary  may  some- 
times be  to  blame  in  not  reporting  the  school  to  the  Chair- 
man of  the  Sabbath-school  Committee,  or  the  latter  may  be 
to  blame  in  not  reporting  to  the  Stated  Clerk.  The  superin- 
tendent of  the  school  probably  knows  very  little  about  the 
Presbytery.  There  must  be  hundreds  of  these  cases  which 
have  never  been  reported  or  in  any  way  gathered  into  the 
statistics  of  the  Church.  Meanwhile,  the  good  work  goes 
on  notwithstanding,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  in  time 
all  these  matters  will  receive  attention,  and  order  and  sys- 
tem be  evolved  out  of  chaos. 

I  cannot  find  all  the  information  I  desire  on  this  point  in 
the  Reports  of  the  Board,  nor  in  the  statistical  re- 
turns OF  THE  missionaries  to  the  department.  The  mis- 
sionaries give  full  reports  of  their  daily  work  every  month, 
but  rarely  refer  to  the  Presbyterian  or  any  other  Church 
by  name.     It  must  be  remembered  that   their  work   lies 


44  SABBATH-SCHOOL    MISSION    WORK. 

mostly  in  regions  where  the  Presbyterian  Church  is  far  out- 
numbered as  to  membership  by  other  Churches,  and  that  in 
conformity  with  their  instructions,  when  they  fail  to  get  a 
vote  in  favor  of  a  Presbyterian  school  they  proceed  to  or- 
ganize a  union  school.  In  practice  they  report  the  organ- 
ization of  many  schools  without  stating  whether  a  vote  has 
been  asked  for.  It  would  perhaps  be  better  to  report  the 
facts  of  the  case  every  time.  We  lose  nothing  by  knowing 
the  truth.  The  catholicity  of  our  work  will  not  be  impeded 
by  keeping  ever  in  mind  that  we  are  Presbyterians. 

For  the  purpose  of  the  present  inquiry  I  must,  therefore, 
make  further  investigation. 

Circular  Letter. 

By  permission  of  the  department  I  drew  up  a  circular 
letter,  which  was  forwarded  to  each  one  of  the  60  and  more 
missionaries  now  in  commission,  asking  for  information. 
The  letter  ran  as  follows  : — 

1.  Can  you  furnish  me  from  your  actual  knowledge  the  locations  of 
Sabbath-schools  in  your  special  field  of  labor  which  have  developed  into 
Presbyterian  Sabbath-schools,  say  within  the  past  three  years? 

2.  Can  you  furnish  me  from  your  actual  knowledge  the  locations  of 
Presbyterian  churches  within  your  special  field  which  have  grown  out  of 
the  Sabbath-school  w^ork  of  our  Church  ? 

I  am  not  at  all  anxious  to  have  your  explanations  why  there  are  not 
more  such  schools  and  churches.  I  simply  want  to  get  at  the  facts 
as  nearly  as  possible.  I  do  not  include  under  the  first  head  schools 
which  have  been  established  under  the  general  equipment  ofter  of  the 
Board. 

Do  not  feel  it  necessary  to  name  all  the  churches — only  those  which  in 
an  hour  or  two's  thought  occur  to  you  as  examples  of  the  classes  I  have 
mentioned  ;  but  be  as  full  as  possible. 

To  this  circular  I  received  replies  from  50  missionaries. 
Sickness  or  absence  from  home  on  duty  have  delayed  the 
answers  in  some  cases,  and  these  might  materially  affect  the 
showing. 

Presbyterian  Schools. 

1.  As  TO  Schools. — From  46  missionaries,  laboring  in  24 
States,  I  received  lists  giving  me  the  name  and  locality, 


RELATION  OF  SABBATII-SCHOOL  WORK  TO  THE  CHURCH.      45 

and  in  many  cases  the  superintendent's  name  and  post- 
office  address,  of  439  schools  now  existing,  the  direct  fruit 
of  this  work,  entirely  and  strictly  Presbyterian,  within 
the  actual  knowledge  of  my  informants.  It  must  be  borne 
in  mind  that  many  of  these  latter  have  not  been  in  the 
employ  of  the  company  during  the  whole  of  the  period  of 
three  years  which  I  asked  them  to  consider  in  making  their 
return — some  of  them  not  many  montlis — and  that  they 
were  asked  to  give  information  only  with  respect  to  their 
special  fields.  It  seems  to  me,  therefore,  that  these  returns, 
gratifying  as  they  are,  do  not  fairly  represent  the  actual 
increase.  We  have  a  solid  basis  of  actual  facts  to  begin 
upon,  but  we  must  still  have  recourse  to  estimating.  It 
appears  to  me  that  we  may  multiply  the  figures  above  given 
by  two  without  being  in  danger  of  exceeding  the  mark. 
This  would  give  us  878  schools,  which  I  will  term  Presby- 
terian schools  de  jure.  To  this  number  we  may  now  fairly 
add,  as  representing  the  essentially,  though  not  strictly, 
Presbyterian  character  of  the  work,  the  schools  which  use 
Presbyterian  literature  exclusively,  some  of  them  also  hav- 
ing Presbyterian  superintendents.  Here,  again,  I  have 
no  way  of  getting  at  the  exact  number,  at  least  with- 
in a  reasonable  time,  and  therefore  must  again  resort 
to  estimating.  Judging  from  the  character  of  the  letters  I 
receive  from  the  missionaries,  and  from  data  supplied  in 
the  office,  I  feel  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  fully  one-half 
of  all  the  permanent  schools  organized  by  missionaries, 
after  deducting  the  strictly  Presbyterian  schools,  are  of  this 
character — Presbyterian  de  facto.  The  reader  will  have  an 
opportunity  of  judging  from  extracts  of  letters  whether 
this  is  a  reasonable  computation.  This  would  add,  say, 
another  500  to  the  list.  To  these  must,  of  course,  be  added 
the  whole  of  the  schools  coming  in  under  the  special  equip- 
ment off"er  of  the  Board,  which  for  the  three  years  amounted 
to  367.  This  swells  up  the  number  to  1745.  But  there  is 
yet  another  item,  namely,  the  311  reorganized  schools, 
which  will  certainly  give  us  at  least  150  schools  Presby- 
terian de  facto.    We  have,  therefore,  in  a  calculation  based 


46  SABBATH-SCHOOL    MISSION   WORK. 

partly  upon  actual  knowledge  and  partly  on  well-considered 
estimates,  the  following  result  as  to  schools  : — 

Schools  reported   by  missionaries  now  existing,  Presbyterian  de 

jure 439 

Eeasonable  addition  to  these  reports 439 

One-half  of  the    other    permanent  schools,  say  Presbyterian  de 

facto 500 

Equipment  schools,  not  included  in  above,  Presbyterian  de  jure  .      367 
One-half  of  schools  reorganized,  not  included  in  above,  Presby- 
terian de  facto      150 

1,895 

This  is  a  fair  showing  out  of  the  total  of  3987  schools 
organized  and  reorganized  during  the  3  years — about  50 
per  cent.,  and  it  would  still  be  a  cause  for  congratulation 
if  we  omitted  the  second  item  entirely. 

Of  course,  this  is  more  or  less  '  estimate.'  It  is  quite  as 
likely  to  be  under  as  over  the  mark,  and  therefore,  in  this 
connection,  I  would  take  the  liberty  of  suggesting  the 
desirability  of  instructing  the  missionaries  in  future  to 
report  the  exact  denominational,  or  extra-denominational 
standing  of  each  school  at  the  beginning,  with  such  changes 
in  this  resj)ect  as  ma}'-  subsequently  come  within  their 
knowledge.  The  superintendent  of  a  school  coming  under 
Presbyterian  oversight  might,  perhaps,  be  brought  into  cor- 
respondence with  the  department,  and  invited  to  furnish, 
from  time  to  time,  direct  information  as  to  the  state  of  his 
school.  This  would  probably  involve  a  little  more  depart- 
mental work,  but  the  information  gained,  besides  other 
advantages,  such  as  checking  original  returns  and  tracing 
the  history  of  the  schools,  might  well  repay  the  cost  and 
trouble.  I  merely  throw  this  out  as  a  suggestion,  the  prac- 
ticabilit}^  of  which,  or  otherwise,  the  Board  will  be  quick 
to  determine. 

Supposing,  however,  we  eliminate  all  estimating  what- 
ever. We  still  have  indubitable  evidence  of  the  creation 
of  806  stanch  Presbyterian  schools,  and  of  hundreds  of 
other  schools  the  future  denomination  of  which  depends 
largely  upon  the  care  which  the  Church  bestows  upon  them. 


RELATION  OF  SABBATH-SCHOOL  WORK  TO  THE  CHURCH.   47 

This  is  a  very  important  addition  to  the  possessions  and 
opportunities  of  the  Church. 

Presbyterian  Churches. 
2.  As  to  Churches. — We  come  now  to  the  question  of 
churches  growing  out  of  this  movement.  This  really  opens 
up  a  very  large  subject.  I  will  content  myself,  however, 
at  present,  by  stating  that  I  received  reports  from  mission- 
aries, laboring  in  24  States,  of  the  growth,  within  three 
years,  of  238  Presbyterian  churches,  within  their  respective 
fields  of  labor,  and  within  their  actual  knowledge. 

Conclusion  from  this  Evidence. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  then,  though  the  data  are  not  as  sat- 
isfactory as  we  could  wish,  or  as  they  will  probably  become 
as  the  Board  fairly  settles  down  to  its  great  work  in  future 
years,  yet  we  have  actual  evidence  showing  that  the  Pres 
byterian  Church  has  been  strengthened  and  built  up  by 
this  movement,  both  as  to  actual  numbers  and  as  to  the 
area  of  its  operations  and  influence.  To  use  a  common 
business  word,  which  conveys  a  great  deal  of  meaning,  the 
Presbyterian  Church  has  been  extensively  and  continu- 
ously advertised  and  brought  to  the  front  in  this  matter  of 
evangelizing  the  newer  portions  of  our  country,  and  the 
foundations  have  been  laid  for  the  wide  and  permanent  ex- 
tension of  that  Church  in  the  immediate  future. 

Views  of  Missionaries. 

Although  I  discouraged  my  missionary  correspondents 
from  entering  into  explanations  of  the  facts  I  asked  for, 
some  of  them  thought  it  their  duty  to  express  their  views 
on  the  subject,  and  I  have  pleasure  in  quoting  from  their 
letters. 

From  Virginia,  Mr.  W.  A.  Yancey,  who  sends  a  list  of  29 
schools  and  6  churches,  writes  : — 

There  are  5  or  6  other  good  points  that  may  become  churches  soon. 

From  Kentucky,  Rev.  J.  D.  Irwin  writes : — 

I  put  our  Sabbath- school  help  supplies  in  all  the  schools  I  start.  Al- 
though our  Church  is  very  weak  here  it  is  doing  a  grand  work. 


48  SABBATH-SCHOOL    MISSION   WORK. 

From  Indiana,  Rev.  W.  B.  Chamberlin  writes : — 

AVe  could  organize  two  more  churches,  but  our  Home  Mission  Commit- 
tee of  the  Presbytery  say  they  cannot  supply  preaching. 

From  North  Carolina,  Rev.  Harmon  H.  Boone  writes : — 

Many  of  our  schools,  owing  to  the  inability  of  the  Presbytery  to  furnish 
ministers,  have  been  organized  into  Baptist  and  Methodist  churches. 

Mr.  Boone,  however,  reports  9  schools  and  as  many 
churches. 

Of  Iowa,  Mr.  L.  0.  Sutherland,  who  reports  7  schools  and 

1  church,  writes  : — 

Many  of  the  Sabbath-schools  started  by  our  missionaries,  though  they 
cannot  be  called  strictly  Presbyterian  schools,  yet  do  great  good  for  us  by 
making  the  people  acquainted  with  our  literature  and  our  polity,  and 
thus  influence  them  to  attend  our  churches  and  schools  when,  as  is  often 
the  case,  they  remove  from  the  country  to  the  towns  where  we  have 
churches. 

From  South  Dakota,  Mr.  J.  N.  Lucas,  who  reports  5 
schools  and  3  churches,  writes  : — 

Quite  a  number  of  other  schools  receive  their  lesson  helps  and  Sabbath- 
school  papers  from  our  Board,  and  have  no  other  than  a  Sabbath-school 
missionary  to  look  after  them,  yet  strictly  could  not  be  called  other  than 
union  schools. 

Mr.  E.  S.  Ely  writes  from  Kansas  : — 

The  great  lack  in  our  Sabbath-school  work  is  the  want  of  a  home  mis- 
sionary to  follow  up  the  work  of  the  Sabbath-school  missionary. 

Mr.  George  Perry  reports  8  schools  and  as  many  churches 
from  South  Dakota,  and  writes  : — 

Many  of  our  fields  have  gone  into  the  hands  and  under  the  influence 
of  other  denominations — perhaps  more  than  half — our  Church  being  un- 
able to  procure  ministers.  We  have  now  many  localities  where  Presby- 
terian churches  could  be  organized  through  the  influence  of  our  Sabbath- 
school  work  if  men  were  here  in  the  field  to  make  the  work  permanent. 

From  Ohio,  Mr.  J.  S.  Phillips,  who  reports  7  schools  and 

2  churches,  writes : — 

I  would  be  greatly  in  sympathy  with  some  home  mission  or  other  plan 
which  would  follow  our  work  up  and  lead  the  scores  of  mission  schools 


RELATION  OF  SABBATH-SCHOOL  WORK  TO  THE  CHURCH.   49 

which  we  now  lose  into  tlie  line  of  our  own  Church.    However,  we  are 
making  many  Presbyterians  for  our  town  and  city  churches. 

Mr.  Dillard,  a  colored  missionary  working  in  South  Car- 
olina, reports  no  less  than  22  schools  and  5  churches,  all 
stanch  and  true. 

Mr.  W.  J.  Hay  den,  from  Missouri,  reports  19  schools  and 
4  churches  from  his  special  field,  and  writes  : — 

This  is  a  partial  list. 

Mr.  William  Davis,  of  Oklahoma,  reports  3  schools  and 
10  churches,  and  writes: — 

The  results  under  your  first  question  are  small  because  of  the  mixed 
church  membership  of  most  communities  in  Oklahoma,  in  which  it  is 
almost  out  of  the  question  to  organize  a  Presbyterian  school  or  to  change 
a  union  school  to  a  Presbyterian  afterwards  without  a  Presbyterian 
church  and  house  of  worship. 

In  the  experience  of  this  brother,  it  is  evidently  best  to 
first  organize  the  church  and  let  the  school  follow,  and  he 
acts  upon  that  conviction.     He  adds,  however  : — 

There  are  yet  several  communities  where  Presbyterian  churches  could 
be  organizeii,  with  good  prospect  of  success,  where  no  work  has  yet  been 
done  except  on  the  part  of  the  Sabbath -school  missionary. 

Mr.  Thomas  Scotton,  from  Minnesota,  who  reports  10 
schools  and  4  churches,  writes  : — 

It  takes  more  than  3  years — 6  months  in  a  year — for  a  Sabbath-school 
organized  in  a  community  where  all  denominations  are  found  to  develop 
into  a  Presbyterian  Sabbath-school,  but  as  the  work  is  done  now  we  can 
expect  larger  results  in  the  future.  *  *  *  Other  denominations  have 
occupied  some  of  the  fields  we  should  have  had  because  they  had  min- 
isters to  send  there. 

Mr.  J.  B.  Currens,  who  sends  a  list  of  8  churches  and 
schools  in  Nebraska,  4  in  Wyoming,  and  2  in  South  Dakota, 
writes : — 

The  variety  of  denominations,  the  few  Presbyterians,  the  difficulty  of 
finding  leaders,  convince  me  that  it  is  wise  to  organize  the  schools,  put 
in  the  literature,  and  care  for  them  until  they  know  us  and  our  Church, 
and  not  to  present  the  matter  of  a  denomination  till  we  are  ready  to  or- 
ganize a  church.  Nine  of  these  14  churches  had  not  a  single  Presbyte- 
rian in  them  when  organized.  Union  Star  Church  has  56  members,  and 
only  2  original  Presbyterians.     We  have  no  difficulty  in  introducing  our 


50  SABBATH-SCHOOL    MISSION   WORK. 

literature,  and  none  in  organizing  a  church  after  the  people  get  ac- 
quainted with  us. 

Pen  Pictures. 

I  have  before  me  an  interesting  pamphlet  containing  pen 
pictures  from  the  experiences  of  Mr.  Joseph  Brown,  a  Sab- 
bath-school missionary  in  Wisconsin,  from  which  I  quote  a 
few  extracts  : — 

Sabbath  last  was  a  day  to  be  remembered  by  the  people  living  in  the 
McGregor  district.  On  that  day  the  McGregor  Sabbath-school  Mission 
Presbyterian  Church  was  duly  opened  and  dedicated.  The  services  of 
the  day  were  3  in  number,  all  of  which  were  numerously  attended  and 
much  appreciated. 

Went  into  the  Dudley  district  and  spent  3  days  in  Sabbath-school  mis- 
sion work  there.  *  *  *  Here  another  mission  Sabbath-school  chapel 
is  about  to  be  built.  *  *  *  This  station  is  15  miles  from  Merrill.  The 
chapel  when  finished  will  be  deeded  to  the  trustees  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Merrill,  to  be  held  for  the  people  of  the  district. 

On  Saturday,  the  8th  of  August,  made  my  way  from  Wausau  to  the 
Hartsville  district,  12  miles  east  of  Wausau.  On  this  occasion  was  ac- 
companied with  Mr  Armstrong,  one  of  our  student  missionaries,  our 
purpose  being  to  hold  a  series  of  meetings  in  the  new  Sabbath-school 
mission  chapel,  preparatory  to  its  dedication  by  the  Rev.  W.  0.  Carrier, 
of  Wausau.  The  chajjel  thus  erected  and  dedicated  is  the  fruit  of  Sab- 
bath-school mission  work  as  done  by  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Again  w^e  say  to  all,  come  and  see.  Come  with  us  to  Shortville,  a 
farming  district  in  Clark  County,  9  miles  from  Neilsville.  Three  years 
ago  a  Sunday-school  was  organized  under  the  auspices  of  our  Board.  On 
Sabbath,  April  13th,  after  a  series  of  6  services,  a  petition  was  presented 
and  signed  by  30  persons,  asking  the  Presbytery  of  La  Crosse  to  form 
them  into  a  church. 

The  above  quotations  explain  how  Presbyterian  churches 
grow.     I  must  crowd  in  one  more  quotation  : — 

The  Sabbath-school  department  is  one  of  the  growing  and  most  hope- 
ful institutions  of  the  Church.  *  *  *  It  is  the  circuit-rider  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  *  *  *  It  is  said  that  President  Lincoln  was 
once  discussing  with  the  Secretary  of  War  the  necessity  of  river  gun- 
boats in  defending  the  Western  portion  of  our  country.  '  We  need,'  said 
the  Secretary,  '  flat-bottomed  boats  that  will  run  inland  even  up  the 
smallest  creeks.'  '  Yes,'  remarked  the  President,  '  we  want  some  that 
will  run  on  a  light  dew.'  Brethren,  the  Presbyterian  Church  has  its 
large  gunboats.  There  are  river  boats,  and  the  Home  Mission  Board  has 
sent  some  of  the  flat-bottomed  boats  into  the  small  creeks,  but  the  Sun- 
day-school missionary  can  run  them  on  a  light  dew. 


relation  of  sabbath-school  woilk  to  the  church.    51 

Testimony  from  Synods. 

Important  evidence  on  this  point  could  be  adduced  from 
the  Presbyteries  and  Synods  of  our  Church.  As  the  latter 
usually  issue  a  printed  report  of  their  proceedings,  I  am 
able  to  quote  some  interesting  testimony  :  — 

The  Synod  of  Nebraska  jDublishes  the  report  of  its  Synod- 
ical  Missionary,  Rev.  Thos.  L.  Sexton,  D.  D.,  an  eminently 
competent  authority,  who  says : — 

The  Sabbath-school  work  in  the  State  has  been  pushed  forward  with 
vigor,  and  has  resulted  in  the  planting  of  not  less  than  75  schools  where 
otherwise  there  would  have  been  no  organized  effort  to  promote  Bible 
study  and  instruction.  This  is  especially  true  of  the  northwestern  part 
of  the  State,  where  not  less  than  260  teachers  have  been  raised  up  to  do 
real  missionary  work.  These  teachers  are  scattered  through  the  frontier 
settlements,  beyond  churches  and  ministers,  and  oftentimes  they  stand 
alone  in  conducting  religious  work  among  those  destitute  neighborhoods. 
They  have  been  called  into  this  service  through  the  direct  agency  of  our 
Sabbath-school  missionaries,  who  have  sought  them  out  and  encouraged 
them  to  undertake  it.  The  schools  thus  planted  and  fostered  will  soon 
be  followed  by  the  church,  and  then  will  be  demanded  the  living  minis- 
ter to  preach  the  Gospel.  Even  now  the  demand  for  preachers  is  press- 
ing upon  us,  and  we  have  not  the  men  needed  to  do  the  work.  The 
whole  western  portion  of  the  State  is  an  open  and  inviting  field  for  mis- 
sionary effort. 

The  report  also  states  that  the  Presbyterian  churches  in 
Nebraska  have  had  large  additions  to  their  membership, 
chiefly  on  profession  of  faith,  and  that  the  growing  number 
of  pastoral  settlements  is  specially  encouraging.  One  of  the 
Presbyteries  (Hastings)  had  deemed  it  wise  to  appoint  a 
pastor-at-large  to  watch  over  youthful  organizations,  and 
there  had  been  more  than  usual  activity  in  the  erection  of 
new  church  buildings.  As  another  indication  of  prosper- 
ity, the  contributions  from  the  churches  to  all  the  Boards 
of  the  Church  had  largely  increased. 

The  Committee  on  Sabbath-school  Work  also  report 
that  7  permanent  missionaries  had  been  at  work  during 
most  of  the  year  and  2  students  during  the  summer,  and 
had  formed  the  nuclei  of  churches,  besides  organizing  71 
and    reorganizing    18    Sabbath-schools,    and    the    report 


52  SABBATH-SCHOOL    MISSION    WORK. 

concludes   with    this    practical    advice   to    ministers    and 
churches : — 

Get  one  of  them  (the  missionaries)  in  your  iield,  if  pof?sible,  to  canvass 
it  with  the  literature  of  our  Board  and  help  to  make  our  people  strong 
in  the  faith. 

The  Synod  of  Iowa  adopts  a  resolution  directing  the 
Synod's  Committee  on  Sabbath-schools  '  to  secure,  if  possi- 
ble, more  efficient  work  throughout  the  State  by  means  of 
Sabbath-school  mission  work  under  the  Board  and  through 
the  channels  of  individual  church  authorities;'  and  also  re- 
solved to  request  the  Board  to  place  a  State  Sabbath -school 
missionary,  an  ordained  minister,  upon  the  field  to  super- 
intend the  entire  work. 

The  Synod  of  Wisconsin,  through  the  Sabbath-school 
Committee,  draws  attention  to  the  large  foreign  element  im- 
migrating into  the  State, '  making,  with  their  households, 
perhaps  one-half  the  inhabitants.'  These  have  to  be 
brought  to  Christ.     The  report  says  : — 

This  great  problem  is  to  be  solved  in  Wisconsin.  Can  these  diverse 
and  even  antagonistic  elements  be  so  Americanized  and  unified  that  the 
interests  of  our  country  and  Church  may  be  safely  committed  to  their 
hands?  As  a  Synod  we  must  do  our  part  and  do  it  well.  To  do  this  we 
need  all  the  help  we  can  secure.  We,  with  our  implement  of  war,  are 
ruled  out  of  the  common  schools.  The  Sabbath-school  furnishes  us  with 
a  strategic  point.  Here  we  must  mass  our  forces.  We  have  in  the  State 
592,755  children  between  the  ages  of  4  and  20  years.  Of  this  number 
about  350,342  are  in  the  public  schools.  As  yet  the  Presbyterian  Church 
has  gathered  into  the  Sabbath-school  but  14,688.  The  great  burden  of 
this  work  rests  upon  1666  officers  and  teachers.  Where  are  the  9800 
other  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Wisconsin  ? 

The  Synod  also  passes  a  resolution  recognizing  the 
efficiency  of  the  work  of  the  Board.  Sabbath-school  Mis- 
sionary Joseph  .  Brown  reported  the  organization  of  5 
schools,  reorganization  of  3,  the  erection  of  1  Sabbath- 
school  missionary  church,  the  development  of  2  Presby- 
terian churches,  and  the  planting  of  20  preaching  stations, 
all  in  localities  where  '  no  other  persons  go  to  do  work 
for  Jesus.' 

The  Synod  of  Oregon,  in  the  report,  states  that  the  work 
of  the   Sabbath-school   and  Missionary  Department   '  has 


RELATION  OF  SABBATPI-SCIIOOL  WORK  TO  THE  CHURCH.      53 

again  been  signally  blessed.'  Three  student  missionaries 
had  been  emplo3'ed  during  the  year,  resulting  in  23  schools. 
It  adds,  '  Some  of  these  are  union  schools  and  may  not  live 
during  the  winter.  Yet  the  young  men  did  a  great  work.' 
The  narrative  also  reports  prosperity: — 

Best  of  all.  we  have  had  the  largest  increase  in  membership  in  the  his- 
tory of  northwest  Presbyterianism.  God  has  graciously  poured  out  His 
Spirit  upon  us,  and  the  result  has  been  a  quickening  of  spiritual  life,  and 
the  conversion  of  hundreds  of  sinners. 

The  Synod  of  Minnesota  says: — 

The  Sabbath-school  work  in  the  Synod  the  past  year  has  been  one  of 
steady  and  vigorous  growth.  Your  committee  are  happy  to  report  that 
the  blessing  of  God  has  rested  abundantly  upon  the  labors  of  our  faith- 
ful missionaries,  and  a  rich  fruitage  of  souls  has  been  gathered  in. 

Our  Presbyteries,  except  Duluth,  are  now  supplied  with  a  permanent 
Sabbath-school  missionary.  Nine  student  missionaries  have  been  em- 
ployed during  the  summer  months.  Three  of  these  have  labored  in  the 
Presbytery  of  Mankato,  3  in  St.  Paul,  1  in  Red  River,  and  2  in  Winona. 
All  of  these  students  have  done  good  work,  and  the  wisdom  of  the  Board 
in  thus  employing  our  young  men  who  are  in  training  for  the  ministry 
continues  to  be  confirmed  both  by  the  substantial  service  rendered  to 
the  Sabbath-school  cause  directly,  and  by  the  valuable  experience  gained 
by  the  workers  themselves.  They  have  during  the  summer  organized 
and  reorganized  an  average  of  13  schools  each. 

Number  of  new  schools  organized  during  the  year  98 ;  number  of 
schools  reorganized  64 ;  making  a  total  of  162.  Into  these  schools  have 
been  gathered  4529  scholars  and  533  oflficers  and  teachers,  a  total  of  5062. 
Besides  these,  260  other  schools  have  been  visited,  addressed,  or  other- 
wise aided.  In  connection  with  this  work  our  missionaries  have  visited 
4067  families,  and  have  distributed  a  large  amount  of  tracts  and  other 
religious  literature  not  fully  reported.  Thirteen  churches  have  during 
the  year  been  organized  out  of  Sabbath-schools  started  and  fostered  by 
our  missionaries. 

The  '  narrative  '  adds  the  following  : — 

From  every  hand  we  hear  of  the  faithful  and  effective  service  of  the 
pastors -at-large  and  Sabbath-school  missionaries  in  the  several  Presby- 
teries. 

The  Synod  of  North  Dakota  resolves  : — 

(3.)  That  our  Sabbath-school  missionary,  Mr.  E.  M.  Atwood,  be  heartily 
commended  for  his  faithfulness  and  the  consecrated  zeal  with  which  he 
has  labored  in  our  midst,  and  that  we  hereby  express  our  gratitude  to 
God  for  the  presence  of  one  so  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with 
power. 


54  SABBATH-SCHOOL   MISSION   WORK. 

The  Synod  of  South  Dakota  adopts  the  following  resolu- 
tions : — 

That,  in  the  language  of  the  report  from  Black  Hills  Presbytery,  Synod 
'  take  under  special  thought  and  prayer  the  question,  what  are  we  to  do 
with  the  churches  that  grow  out  of  the  Sabbath-schools  and  vainly  peti- 
tion for  ministers  ? ' 

That  chairmen  of  Presbyterial  Committees  on  Sabbath-school  Work 
heartily  encourage  the  Sabbath -school  missionaries  in  their  efforts  to 
nourish  all  schools  they  have  wisely  founded,  and  also  in  evangelistic 
work  with  weaker  churches. 

That  we  commend  the  general  efficiency  and  fidelity  of  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Board  in  its  various  lines  of  work. 

The  narrative  says  : — 

Our  Sabbath-schools  show  an  increase  in  attendance.  Fifty -three  new 
schools  have  been  organized  and  others  reorganized  by  our  Sabbath- 
school  missionaries.  Through  the  faithful  services  of  our  Sabbath-school 
missionaries,  even  our  schools  where  there  are  no  churches  are  doing  a 
grand  and  good  work.  Another  encouraging  feet  is  that  many  of  those 
received  into  our  churches  have  been  brought  in  through  our  Sabbath- 
school  work. 

The  Synod  of  New  York  resolves  : — 

That  the  Synod  set  apart  some  portion  of  its  session  to  consider  the 
question  of  Sabbath-school  extension,  and  that  a  similar  recommendation 
be  sent  to  the  Presbyteries,  requesting  them  to  set  apart  a  portion  of 
either  the  fall  or  spring  meeting  to  the  consideration  of  this  work. 

That  the  Board  of  Publication  be  requested,  if  the  way  be  clear,  to  send 
one  or  moi'e  students,  during  the  summer  months,  to  labor  within  the 
bounds  of  the  Synod,  with  a  view  to  increasing  the  number  and  efficiency 
of  our  schools. 

The  Synod  of  Michigan  recommends  'that  the  churches 
give  more  generally  and  liberally  to  the  Sabbath-school 
missionary  work  of  the  Board  ; '  and  requests  the  Board 
to  appoint  a  Synodical  Sabbath-school  Missionary  '  to  su- 
pervise and  develop  the  Sabbath-school  work  in  this  Synod.' 

The  Synod  of  Ohio  resolves  : — 

That  pastors  and  stated  supplies  be  urged  to  preach  at  least  once  a 
year  upon  the  subject  of  Sabbath-school  work,  thus  endeavoring  to  bring 
churches  and  Sabbath-schools  into  more  intimate  relations. 

We  entreat  all  Sabl^ath-school  workers  to  look  upon  the  more  than  half 
a  million  children  and  youth  in  our  State  who  are  outside  of  the  Sabbath- 
school,  and  then  in  the  spirit  of  the  Good  Samaritan,  help  them  by 


RELATION  OF  SABBATH-SCHOOL  WORK  TO  THE  CHURCH.     55 

bringing  them  in,  that  they  may  be  saved  and  trained  for  the  service  of 
Christ  and  the  glory  of  heaven. 

The  Synod  of  Kentucky  resolves : — 

We  heartily  recommend  the  united  .movement  of  the  Sabbath- schools 
of  our  Church  to  gather  the  neglected  children  and  youth  into  their 
schools,  and  all  the  churches  are  urged  to  co-operate. 

The  Synod  of  California,  in  its  narrative,  says : — 

In  Sabbath-school  work  the  year  has  been  one  of  evident  advance. 
The  intelligent  conviction  is  prevailing  more  and  more  widely,  that  the 
school  is  the  Church  engaged  in  one  department  of  her  work,  and  the 
consequence  is  a  quickening  of  the  sense  of  obligation  on  the  part  of 
church  members  to  be  engaged  in  the  work,  either  as  teachers  or  learners. 
There  is  yet  room  for  improvement,  however.  We  need  a  larger  propor- 
tion of  well-trained  teachers  and  more  co-operation  on  the  part  of  parents 
with  the  workers  and  work  of  the  school.  We  need  to  connect  more 
closely  attendance  upon  the  school  with  attendance  upon  the  church 
services.  And  we  need  more  than  all  to  focus  our  Sabbath-school  eflforts 
in  the  one  central  thought  of  bringing  the  young  to  Christ  and  making 
them  saving  partakers  of  His  grace. 

The  Synod  of  Illinois  warmly  commends  the  Board  of 
Publication  and  Sabbath-school  work  to  the  sympathies 
and  prayers  of  all  our  people. 

Corroborative  Experience. 

To  one  portion  of  the  foregoing  testimony,  namely,  that 
referring  to  the  difficulty  of  properly  following  up  the 
work  by  home  missionary  efforts,  I  would  add  similar 
testimony  from  a  report  of  the  Congregational  Sunday- 
School  Society.  Speaking  of  the  number  of  churches 
(169)  growing  out  of  their  list  of  1500  permanent  schools, 
it  is  observed  : — 

This  number  (169)  would  have  been  much  larger  if  there  had  been  the 
ability  to  follow  up  all  these  beginnings  of  Christian  work  with  the 
regular  presence  and  service  of  pastors  over  each  group  of  schools. 
*  *  *  But  here  has  been  the  lack.  For  this  cause — because  our 
pioneer  work  could  not  be  followed  up  with  vigor— we  have  been  obliged 
to  withdraw  our  men  from  more  than  one  important  field  after  they  had 
patiently  turned  up  the  sod  and  planted  it  with  pure  wheat,  thus  leaving 
it  to  others  to  reap  the  harvest  of  om-  sowing, 

The  views  of  our  missionaries  are  also  borne  out  at  other 
points  by  those  of  other  societies.     I  instance  the  following 


56  SABBATH-SCHOOL    MISSION    WORK. 

from  a  superintendent  of  missions  writing  to  the  Congrega- 
tional Board  : — 

If  I  should  organize  onlj^  where  there  are  Congregationalists,  the 
schools  would  be  very  few  indeed ;  but  the  best  way,  I  find,  is  not  to 
mention  denomination,  but  just  to  organize,  and  then  let  the  school 
grow  into  Congregationalism  as  a  second  nature.  Many  of  the  schools, 
he  adds,  know  nothing  of  Congregationalism  until  it  is  learned  through 
the  school. 

Another  agent  of  the  Society  writes  : — 

It  seems  to  me  that  we  will  never  be  able  to  do  all  that  might  be  done 
for  these  points  until  some  such  plan  as  that  used  by  the  Methodist 
circuit  rider  is  adopted.  I  see  no  other  way  in  which  scores  of  Montana 
towns  and  camps,  numbering  from  100  to  400  in  population,  can  ever  be 
supplied  with  regular  and  efficient  services.  In  most  cases  the  population 
is  so  transient  that  even  if  a  chm'ch  were  organized  its  permanency  could 
not  be  depended  upon,  nor  any  definite  portion  of  a  minister's  salary 
absolutely  guaranteed. 

I  hope  the  time  may  come  when  the  Congregational  Sunday-school 
and  Publishing  Society  and  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society  can 
jointly  enter  upon  the  support  of  men  to  do  this  kind  of  work,  taking 
the  Sunday-school  as  the  starting-point  in  securing  the  interest  and  co- 
operation of  the  people,  and  always  choosing  men  who  have  strong  faith 
in  the  Sunday-school  as  an  evangelizing  agency  and  who  are  qualified  to 
bring  the  schools  to  a  high  degree  of  efficiency. 

Reflections. 

Experience  teaches. — The  first  aim  of  the  Church, 
working  through  this  agency,  is  to  win  souls  to  Christ — to 
redeem  the  moral  wilderness — to  advance  Christian  civil- 
ization. Our  second  aim  is  to  bring  Presbyterian  principles 
and  polity  to  the  front,  because  we  thoroughly  believe  in 
both.  If  the  Sabbath-school  missionary,  on  going  into  a 
new  settlement,  insists  on  calling  the  school  Presbyterian, 
he  will  be  defeated  in  the  majority  of  cases.  But  if,  while 
avowing  himself  a  Presbyterian,  and  offering  Presbyterian 
assistance,  he  tells  the  people  that  the  denominational 
question  will  be  left  to  them  to  decide,  he  will  get  his 
school,  he  wall  have  made  a  good  record,  and  if  Presbyte- 
rian literature,  oversight,  and,  above  all,  its  true  catholicity 
of  spirit,  fail  to  win  the  people,  it  will  be  owing  to  causes 
that  neither  the  missionary  nor  the  Board  can  prevent. 


RELATION  OF  SABBATH-SCHOOL  WORK  TO  THE  CHURCH.      57 

Reflex  Influence  upon  the  Church. — The  benefits  of 
the  Sabbath-school  mission  work  do  not  lie  wholly  in  ad- 
ditions brought  to  the  Church  of  schools,  churches,  and 
members.  There  is  also  a  reflex  influence  exerted  upon 
the  Church  itself,  widening  and  deepening  its  sympathies, 
bringing  it  into  touch  with  the  people,  quickening  its 
spiritual  life,  arousing  interest  in  philanthropic  problems, 
enriching  it  with  records  of  unselfish  heroism,  glorifying  it 
with  the  halo  of  a  Christly  virtue.  On  this  point  I  shall 
not  enlarge.  The  mere  mention  of  it  will  suggest  the  line 
of  thought  to  which  it  leads. 


58  SABBATH-SCHOOL    MISSION   WORK. 


VI. 
PERMANENCE  IN  SABBATH-SCHOOL  AVORK. 

Sabbath- SCHOOL  mission  work  has  been  criticised  for  its 
apparent  want  of  permanence.  The  desire  to  report  a 
large  list  of  new  schools  and  to  swell  the  total  of  teachers 
and  scholars  is,  it  is  said,  a  strong  temptation  to  the  mis- 
sionaries to  be  superficial  rather  than  thorough,  to  start  a 
number  of  little  schools  in  a  great  many  places  without 
any  reasonable  expectation  that  they  will  live  longer  than 
a  few  weeks  or  months,  and  without  giving  them  that 
thorough  personal  attention  which  is  almost  a  necessary 
condition  of  their  taking  root.  What  the  Church  wants 
above  all  things,  say  the  critics,  is  stability  and  endurance. 
What  is  worth  doing  at  all  in  this  direction  is  worth  doing 
well.  Better  make  good  the  work  as  we  proceed  than  rush 
from  one  place  to  another  and  leave  each  task  only  half 
finished.  Better  to  have  fewer  schools  organized,  provided 
that  those  which  are  organized  are  permanently  rooted. 

It  is  important  that  this  criticism  should  be  frankly  met 
by  an  explicit  statement  of  aims,  methods,  and  actual 
facts.  No  one  will  question  the  desirability  of  permanence 
in  this  work.  The  same  argument  for  the  starting  of  a 
school  applies  with  exactly  the  same  force  to  its  contin- 
uance. A  Sabbath-school  is  not  a  temporary  device  for 
amusing  or  even  instructing  people.  It  is,  or  should  be,  an 
institution  and  handmaid  of  the  Church — '  a  plant  of 
God's  own  planting.'  It  should  be  nurtured  and  sustained 
with  all  the  solicitude  given  to  the  care  of  human  life. 

Admitting  to  the  fullest  extent  the  force  of  these  consid- 
erations and  the  duty  of  the  Board  and  its  missionaries  to 
give  this  question  of  permanence  the  closest  attention,  we 
must  not  be  too  hasty  in  censuring  them  for  results  which 
may  be  entirely  beyond  their  control.  On  the  other  hand, 
it  may  be  of  great  benefit  in  the  future  history  of  this 


PERMANENCE    IN    SABBATH-SCHOOL    WORK.  59 

Board  that  the  question  should  now  be  thoroughly  venti- 
lated. 

Data  at  Command. 

The  data  at  my  command  for  arriving  at  the  facts  are, 
(1)  the  annual  reports  of  the  Sabbath-school  work  ;  (2)  a 
number  of  statistical  reports  from  missionaries ;  (3)  points 
brought  out  in  correspondence  and  conversation  with  the 
secretary,  the  superintendent,  and  missionaries. 

1.  Annual  Reports. — This  is  the  only  Society  out  of 
all  those  whose  methods  I  have  studied  that  systematically 
publishes  any  record  of  its  failures.  Perhaps  failure  is 
too  harsh  a  word  to  employ  in  this  connection,  but  it 
describes  the  situation  at  its  very  worst,  and  for  that 
reason  may  be  used  in  this  connection.  The  Board  is, 
I  think,  to  be  commended  for  its  frankness  in  this  respect. 

In  1888-9,  really  the  first  year  of  its  expansion,  it  organized 
831  schools,  besides  117  schools  reported  as  the  result  of  a 
special  equipment  offer  of  the  Board.  At  the  end  of  the  year 
a  careful  census  was  taken  of  the  condition  of  these  schools, 
and  the  result,  as  reported  in  1890,  shows  that  474  of  the 
schools  first  named,  and  all  the  others,  which  I  may  here 
term  'Ecjuipment'  schools,  were  alive  and  flourishing.  Of 
the  remainder,  136  made  no  report — in  other  words,  the 
agents  of  the  Board  were  unable  to  find  out  anything  about 
them.  Reports  from  the  places  occupied  by  121  schools  told 
of  their  dissolution. 

In  1890,  out  of  1139  schools  organized  by  missionaries 
and  109  '  equipment '  schools,  714  of  the  former  and  the 
whole  of  the  latter  were  alive  and  flourishing.  Of  the  rest, 
391  had  succumbed. 

In  1891,  out  of  1209  organized  by  missionaries  and  123 
'  equipment '  schools,  all  the  latter  and  742  of  the  former 
survived  the  first  year,  and  135  were  not  heard  from. 

Here  is  a  total  of  3528  schools  started,  and  of  these  2279 
survived  the  first  j^ear,  and  1249  had  either  passed  out  of 
existence  or  made  no  answer  to  questions  sent  to  them  by 
mail. 


60  SABBATH-SCHOOL    MISSION    WOEK. 

A  word  here.  The  distances  traversed  by  the  mission- 
aries during  the  year  are  so  immense,  and  the  schools  often 
lie  so  far  apart  from  each  other,  that  a  journey  of  inspection 
all  over  the  field  for  the  purpose  of  making  these  inquiries 
is  practically  impossible.  Superintendents  and  friends  are 
addressed  by  letter  in  many  cases,  and  their  replies  furnish 
the  requisite  information  as  to  the  condition  of  the  schools. 

The  official  record  therefore  shows  that  a  little  over  one- 
third  of  the  whole  number  of  schools  organized  through 
the  direct  or  indirect  work  of  the  Board  in  3  years  dis- 
appeared from  view  during  the  first  12  months  after 
they  were  started.  If  we  confine  our  view  to  the  schools 
strictly  organized  by  missionaries,  the  proportion  is  even 
greater,  being  1249  deaths  out  of  a  total  of  3179  schools,  or 
not  quite  two-fifths.  Nearly  2  schools  out  of  every  5 
started  by  the  missionaries  disappeared  from  view. 

2.  Reports  of  Missionaries. — The  Board  requires  its 
missionaries  to  obtain  and  forward  at  the  close  of  each 
statistical  year  reliable  particulars  as  to  the  condition  or 
existence  of  every  school  established  during  the  year.  I 
took  22  reports,  giving  particulars  of  521  schools.  Of  these,, 
18  were  returned  '  not  heard  from,'  or  '  no  report.'  One 
hundred  and  twenty-seven  were  returned  '  dead.'  The  rest, 
numbering  376,  were  alive  and  generally  in  a  fairly  pros- 
perous state.  But  here  comes  in  another  element  which 
does  not  appear  in  the  statistics.  Of  the  376  living  schools, 
132  were  summer  schools  only,  1  was  a  winter  school 
onl}^,  and  243  were  '  evergreen,'  or  schools  continuing  their 
sessions  through  the  year.  In  this  investigation  the  pro- 
portion of  schools  disappearing  within  the  year  to  the 
whole  number  was  as  2  to  7  only,  instead  of  1  out  of  3,  a 
showing  which,  if  maintained  throughout  the  reports  for 
1892,  will  somewhat  improve  the  general  result.  No  record 
has,  however,  been  made  in  the  annual  reports  heretofore 
of  the  proportion  of  summer  schools  to  the  rest  of  the  living 
schools,  which,  according  to  the  partial  data,  furnished  me, 
appears  to  be  in  the  proportion  of  133  to  376,  or  a  little  over 


PERMANENCE    IN    SABBATH-SCHOOL    WOllK.  61 

one-third.  Evidently  we  have  data  sufficient  to  generalize 
upon.  Probably  about  one-third  of  the  schools  established 
by  missionaries  disappear  within  12  months,  and  of  those 
which  remain  about  one-third  are  summer  schools  only, 
with  here  and  there  a  school  that,  for  some  cause  or  other, 
can  only  be  kept  together  in  the  winter. 

3.  Conversation  and  Correspondence  with  Mission- 
aries.— From  this  source  I  gather  the  general  correctness 
of  the  above  conclusions,  though  the  difference  in  the  char- 
acter of  the  field  of  work  evidently  raises  or  lowers  the 
average  under  each  heading.  One  of  the  most  reliable  and 
successful  of  the  missionaries  claims  that  four-fifths  of  the 
schools  established  by  him  and  others  within  his  observa- 
tion are  permanent  schools.  Another  states  that  while 
the  proportion  of  lapsed  is  certainly  not  more  than  one- 
third,  it  would  not  appear  to  be  so  great  if  it  were  not  for 
the  avowedly  temporary  character  of  many  little  schools 
gathered  together  during  the  summer  months  by  the  stu- 
dent missionaries ;  in  other  words,  that  the  permanent 
missionaries  are  doing  a  permanent  work  in  the  main. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  it  is  not  always  easy  to  embody 
in  a  statistical  column  the  whole  story,  or  even  so  much  of 
it  as  is  really  necessary  to  a  proper  understanding  of  the 
figures.  Hence  a  grain  or  two  of  the  salt  of  discrimination 
is  often  necessary  to  prevent  false  conclusions.  The  dis- 
appearance of  schools  from  an  unpromising  region,  once  tra- 
versed by  the  missionary,  detracts  from  the  general  aver- 
ages. But  these  schools  may  be  recovered  the  following  year, 
and  appear  again  in  the  statistics  under  the  heading  '  Re- 
organized.' In  the  report  for  1892  the  first  entry  of  reor- 
ganized schools  appears,  in  number  311.  These  311  schools 
represent  so  much  lost  ground  recovered,  and  should,  in 
justice,  be  counted  in  to  the  credit  of  the  movement.  De- 
duct 311  from  the  1249  deaths  and  the  deaths  are  reduced  to 
938,  and  the  proportion  of  dead  to  living  is  reduced  from 
one-third  to  a  little  over  one-fourth.  May  we  not  venture  to 
hope  that  the  good  work   will  go  on,  and  that  of  many 


62  SABBATH-SCHOOL    MISSION    WORK. 

another  'defunct'  school  it  shall  be  said,  as  it  was  said  of  the 
prodigal  of  old,  '  This  my  son  was  dead  and  is  alive  again, 
was  lost  and  is  found  !  ' 

Why  do  Sabbath- schools  Die? 

This  subject  appears  early  to  have  engaged  the  attention 
of  the  Board.  In  the  Annual  Report  for  1891  it  is  thus 
referred  to : — 

An  important  aim  of  the  Board  has  been  permanently  to  establish 
Sabbath-schools,  and  not  simply  to  organize  them.  The  obstacles  in  the 
way  of  such  establishment  are  principally  the  following :  the  difficulty 
of  finding  suitable  men  to  superintend  the  schools  ;  the  impossibility  in 
some  localities  of  finding  a  sufficient  number  of  suitable  teachers ;  the 
blockades  of  snow  that  in  many  northern  regions  make  the  roads  im- 
passable and  so  prevent  attendance  during  the  winter ;  the  spiritual  in- 
difference that  prevails  in  many  communities;  and  in  a  few  localities 
generally  prevailing  lawlessness  and  strife  amongst  the  people. 

The  reasons  for  the  disappearance  of  schools  may  be 
classified  under  the  following  heads  : — 

(1)  Want  of  Teachers  or  Superintendents;  (2)  Climate; 
(3)  Local  Depravity ;  (4)  Sectarianism;  (5)  Want  of  Build- 
ings ;  (6)  Want  of  Church  Affiliation  ;  (7)  Want  of  Over- 
sight and  Help. 

1.  Want  of  Teachers. — Next  to  the  presence  of  scholars, 
that  of  teachers  is  essential.  None  but  Sabbath-school 
missionaries  fully  realize  this.  One  brother  writes :  '  Hunt- 
ing grounds  abound,  and  I  can  find  jack-rabbits,  prairie 
chickens,  and  prairie  dogs  almost  without  number,  but 
*  *  *  a  capable  and  willing  person  to  take  the  charge 
of  a  school  or  the  place  of  a  teacher  is  not  easily  secured.' 
A  lady,  writing  in  explanation  of  the  discontinuance  of  a 
school,  says :  '  It  was  impossible  to  get  any  one  to  serve  as 
teacher  or  officer.'  It  is  very  discouraging  to  a  missionary 
when  he  sees  a  good  opening  for  a  school  in  numbers  of 
children  and  youth  willing  to  join,  but  can  discover,  no,  not 
by  diligent  search,  a  godly  few  who  will  for  Christ's  sake 
come  forward  to  teach.  What  can  he  do  under  those  cir- 
cumstances?     Perhaps  there  is  not  one  professing  Chris- 


PERMANENCE   IN   SABBATH-SCHOOL   WORK.  63 

tian  in  the  whole  town.  He  bethinks  him  of  one  or  two 
serious  young  people,  twent}'  miles  or  so  away.  Can  he 
interest  them?  Perhaps  tliey  are  Christian  Endeavorers. 
He  '  hitches  up '  his  horse,  and  drives  off,  but  only,  perhaps, 
to  meet  with  objections  and  difficulties  which  seem  insur- 
mountable. Perhaps  he  gets  a  promise,  but  the  promise  is 
not  kept,  and  a  letter  or  postal-card  comes  declining  and 
offering  what  seem  to  be  reasonable  explanations.  He  meets 
the  scholars  alone.  A  few  adults  drop  in  to  see  what  is 
going  on.  He  pleads  with  them.  He  makes  another 
diligent  canvass  of  the  whole  region.  At  last,  when  almost 
in  despair,  he  succeeds  in  persuading  two  or  three  adults  to 
lend  their  aid.  Sometimes  it  happens  that  the  superin- 
tendent is  sadly  unfit,  even  on  moral  grounds,  for  the  part. 
But  the  missionary  does  the  best  he  can  with  his  materials. 
It  sometimes  happens  that  things  turn  out  well.  The 
superintendent  feels  the  responsibility  of  his  new  position, 
and  is  the  first  to  reap  a  spiritual  blessing.  Sometimes  the 
reverse  is  the  case.  And  yet  the  attempt  must  be  made. 
'  In  the  morning  sow  thy  seed,  and  in  the  evening  withhold 
not  thine  hand :  for  thou  kno\vest  not  whether  shall  pros- 
per either  this  or  that,  or  whether  they  both  shall  be  alike 
good.'     (Ecc.  xi.  6.) 

2.  Climate. — In  certain  cases,  well  understood  by  dwell- 
ers in  remote  and  rural  districts,  it  is  well  nigh  impossible 
to  keep  a  school  together  during  the  winter.  I  shall  not 
dwell  upon  this  reason  except  to  say  that  the  excuse  of 
climate  is,  no  doubt,  sometimes  urged  without  due  reason. 
The  religious  energy  and  vitality  of  the  leading  Sabbath- 
school  people  in  the  neighborhood  is  at  so  low  an  ebb  that 
it  soon  freezes  out.  There  are  cases,  however,  where  the 
region  is  so  sparsely  settled  and  the  distances  to  be  traveled 
by  the  children  to  the  school  so  great — from  half  a  mile  to, 
perhaps,  seven  or  eight  miles — and  the  accommodation  in 
the  school  so  poor — perhaps  a  mere  log  house  or  sod  hut, 
and  no  shelter  for  teams — that  there  is  really  nothing  prac- 
tical but  to  suspend  during  the  winter. 


64  SABBATH-SCHOOL   MISSION   WORK. 

3.  Local  Depravity. — Here  and  there  the  missionary 
enters  a  settlement  or  town  where  Satan  seems  to  have  al- 
most entire  possession.  Family  and  social  feuds  abound. 
Drunkenness  is  the  prevailing  vice.  Local  passions  are 
easily  aroused.  He  succeeds,  however,  in  launching  a  little 
school,  but  no  sooner  is  it  started  than  disputes  and  bicker- 
ings break  it  up  again.  The  people  '  love  darkness  rather 
than  light,  because  their  deeds  are  evil.'  They  dispute  over 
the  offices.  They  backbite  and  slander  each  other.  One 
steps  out  because  he  is  ridiculed.  Another  because  some- 
body else  is  put  in.  The  women  are  as  bad  as  the  men,  or 
even  worse.  The  children  are  unruly,  having  copied  too  well 
the  habits  of  their  parents.  If  preachers  come  into  the 
town  they  are  insulted.  It  is  evident  that  Satan  holds  pos- 
session, and  will  not  be  driven  out  by  a  first,  or  even  a  second 
attempt.  How  comes  it  that  we  hear  of  whole  counties, 
and  many  of  them  in  a  single  State,  without  one  regular 
preaching  service?  No  pastors,  no  Sabbath-schools.  Vices 
prevalent.  Not  very  tempting  grounds  these  for  the  cleri- 
cal seeker  after  soft  places !  Neglected  of  the  Church, 
these  are  the  strongholds  of  sin.  And  they  cannot  be 
taken  by  a  single  skirmisher. 

4.  Sectarianism. — One  writes  in  explanation  of  suspen- 
sion :  *  The and  the [naming  opposing  denomi- 
nations in  the  town]  showed  their  disapproval  by  staying 
away.'  The  consequence  was  that  the  school  went  down. 
There  is  not  strength  left  for  even  a  union  school.  With 
all  the  tact  and  Christian  courtesj''  that  can  be  brought  to 
bear  in  the  case,  a  missionary  is  sometimes  defeated  even  at 
the  threshold  of  success  by  the  churlishness  of  professing 
Christians.  They  say  by  their  actions,  if  not  by  their  words, 
'  If  we  cannot  rule  we  will  break.' 

5.  Want  of  a  Building. — This  is  often  a  very  formid- 
able difficulty.  The  building  or  room  at  first  engaged  is 
found  too  expensive,  or  it  is  withheld  and  the  school  turned 
out.     A  superintendent  writes  of  a  suspended  school :' The 


PERMANENCE    IN   SABBATH-SCHOOL   WORK.  65 

trustees  of  the  public  school  do  not  wish  the  Sabbath- 
school  to  use  the  building  in  the  winter,  and,  therefore,  we 
have  to  suspend.'  One  of  the  missionaries  went  to  a  cer- 
tain town  which  was  entirely  without  religious  services — a 
place  that  had  been  tried  and  abandoned  as  hopeless  by 
the  missionaries  of  another  society.  He  thought  of  the 
public  school,  but  found  that  he  would  have  to  get  the  writ- 
ten consent  of  all  the  taxpayers,  and  then  pay  a  high  rent. 
He  hired  a  dance  hall,  paying  a  few  weeks  rent  in  advance. 
A  Christian  friend  had  handed  him  $5  to  help  on  any  good 
work,  and  he  thought  he  could  put  the  money  to  no  better 
purpose  than  this.  The  school  was  organized  there,  but 
there  were  drawbacks  which  threatened  its  life.  For- 
tunately, friends  were  raised  up  in  the  town  and  a  little 
building  was  soon  erected  for  school  and  church.  This 
saved  the  school.  A  Presbyterian  church  has  since  been 
organized  there.  The  $5  started  the  school,  and  the  little 
church  building  saved  it.' 

6.  Want  of  Church  Affiliation. — The  Sabbath-school 
and  church  cannot  get  along  well  without  each  other.  A 
little  school  without  some  kind  of  healthful  church  influ- 
ence around  it  is  like  a  home  without  father  or  mother. 
There  is  a  void  which  cannot  be  otherwise  filled.  In  a  city 
surrounded  by  churches  a  school  may  live  and  prosper 
alone,  in  some  special  cases,  but  experience  proves  that  in 
almost  every  case  a  school  without  a  church  or  a  church 
without  a  school  stands  on  a  weak  foundation.  It  is  want- 
ing in  an  essential  element  of  spiritual  growth  and  strength. 
In  many  places  in  frontier  regions  the  nearest  churches  are 
too  far  off  to  extend  practical  aid  or  to  give  a  touch  of 
sympathy.  Spiritual  fervor  dies.  The  fire  simply  goes 
out. 

7.  Want  of  Oversight  and  Help. — There  are  many 
cases  where  a  school  could  be  kept  alive  and  vigorous  by 
systematic  oversight  and  aid,  even  when  the  organization 
of  a  local  church   or  church  affiliation  cannot  for  years  be 


66  SABBATH-SCHOOL    MISSION   WORK. 

thought  of.  It  is  one  of  the  characteristics  of  our  country 
that  little  nuclei  of  agricultural  or  mining  towns  spring 
up  and  just  hold  their  own  for  years  without  advancing  in 
population  or  wealth.  By  and  by  they  feel  the  impulse  of 
some  distant  wave.  They  '  boom  '  up  more  or  less  rapidly. 
Then  there  is  an  ebb  and  things  settle  down  somewhat 
after  the  old  way.  These  places  should  not  be  neglected. 
Schools  started  there  and  left  to  the  mercy  of  circumstances 
will  not  live.  Perhaps  some  wandering  preacher  of  doubt- 
ful connection  will  find  them  out  and  take  possession.  Per- 
haps indifference,  that  stolid,  sleepy  condition  of  mind  and 
body  which  conies  over  quiet  little  communities,  will 
smother  the  school.  It  needs  the  excitement  and  refresh- 
ment of  systematic  visitation  from  the  regions  beyond. 
An  observant  and  thoughtful  missionary  writes  in  this 
way :  '  If  there  could  be  a  man  secured  who  is  w-ise  and 
prudent,  full  of  aggressive  zeal  and  whole  consecration  to 
the  work,  to  do  nothing  but  look  after  the  schools  organized 
by  others  and  aid  and  build  them  up  wherever  it  might 
seem  justifiable  so  to  do,  there  is  no  doubt  that  very 
much  of  the  work  done  could  be  saved  to  the  Church  which 
is  now  undoubtedly  lost.'  Again  he  writes :  '  I  know  of 
four  places  wdiere  Sabbath-schools  were  organized   by  our 

students   in Presbytery  that  could  be  developed  in  a 

very  short  time  into  good,  strong  churches  and  grouped 
with  other  churches  now  vacant.' 

Safeguards  and  Remedial  Measures. 

Fully  aware  of  the  dangers  threatening  these  schools 
from  their  very  birth,  the  Board  appears  to  have  very  early 
devised  certain  measures  and  safeguards  calculated  to  over- 
come and  ward  off  the  various  causes  of  disintegration  and 
decay  sure  to  set  in,  especially  in  the  case  of  small  outlying 
schools  in  the  newly-settled  regions.  These  constitute  the 
great  majority  at  least  of  new  schools.  It  will  be  seen  by 
dividing  the  total  new  membership  of  any  year  by  the  num- 
ber of  schools  that  the  average  membership  of  the  schools 
is  only  a  trifle  over  40  for  each.     There  must,  therefore, 


.     I'KlJMANK.VOIfl    IN    SA  l!l;  A'l/1  S'llOOL    VVOi;K.  07 

}>(:  iriilliy  Il(;VV  Hflir^ol.S  Vviiil  !i,  lrM;lnh(;r'Mlli|>  oC  ';V<:)1  \(;HH 
iliJUi  40  id  Ul(;  bc^ililiili^.  S';IiooIm  liii,V<;  \)(;(i\i  hI,!U'I,<;<]  with 
5  or  10  that  liavo  incrotiHod  to  I'O  or  -10  vviUiin  ji,  yoar. 
S(;liool.s  reach i  11^  a  rnernhorHliif)  (^f  50  u,  H)()  u.]i<\  more 
may  ho  rop^anlod  a8  having  pMHHod  Iho  nta^o  of  (;X|>' /  iinont, 
or  lot  us  Hay  of  infancy.  'I  Ik;  <\;iuij<-fH  nnd  (liHOafiCH  of 
infancy  no  ion^^ci-  threaten  them.  The  conitfiiinity  yield- 
ing Hijch  JI,  Hchofjl  hjis  usually  in  it  uX  leant  ji,  i'<;w  (>eo- 
|ile  c-a[^ji.hle  of  tii,kin^  {)o;-:ition,s  as  teachers  juid  ,sii|)erinten- 
dont,  anrl  the  sehool  is  constitutionally  strong  enouj.'li  to 
resist  dangers  flowin^^  from  the  vJirious  cjiusr;s  vvhich  I 
have  enumerated.  It  i.s  iu;ion|i  thesnudl  Jind  tender  schools 
that  danger  lurks,  an<J  these  from  the  first  were  the  ohjects 
of  the  Board's  earnest  solicitiide.  Another  duty,  however, 
equally  iinficrativc',  f:ommandr!d  its  attention — that  of  push- 
ing its  rnen  continmilly  to  the  fi'ont  on  their  missions  of 
aggression  and  conquest.  'I'liis  work  must  not  stand  still 
for  a  day.  How  to  l^e  faithful  to  duty  at  hoth  etuis  was  the 
(>rohlem.  The  hihorers  are  few.  'i'he  he-Ids  hefore  them 
are  white  unto  the  harvest.  '^I'hf;  voice  of  the  Church  urges 
them  on.  And  yet  the  grain  must  he  gathe-red  into  sheaves 
and  housed.  Let  us  look  }i,t  th<;  j»olicy  of  the  iiojud  ;iiid 
the  action  of  the  mis.sionjiricH. 

1.  MiHHio.VAJtv  Wa'iciikhlnkhh. — The  instructions  {ilaced 
in  the  hands  of  every  missionary  on  his  apfjointment  con- 
vey, in  (ivary  page  and  line,  the  idea  of  stahility  jind  ficr- 
manence  as  the  most  imf^ortant  feature  of  the  work.  The 
foundjitions  are  to  he  wc-ll  and  securoly  laid  in  (■v<:vy  in- 
stance \)y  earnest  cf^nsultations  with  the  local  J'reshytery 
through  its  constituted  officers,  and  also  with  the  Synodical 
home  mi.ssionjiry  jind  the  pasl,ors  of  the  chiirche-s  nearest  to 
the  projiosed  field.  The  place  heing  thus  judiciously  cliosen 
and  all  preliminary  ohjections  and  difliculties  removed,  the 
local  work  is  to  he  enter<;d  ujion  with  y.eal  and  j^rudence 
comhined.  There  is  to  he  thorough  liouse-to-house  visita- 
tions, Jt,  puhlic  meeting,  resolutions,  election  of  officers,  en- 
rolment, jdedges  of  support.      The   utmost   care   must  be 


68  SABBATH-SCHOOL    MISSION    WOKK. 

given  to  the  choice  of  superintendent.  Prayer  and  effort 
are  to  go  hand  in  hand.  The  school  is  to  be,  if  possible, 
under  the  care  of  the  Session  of  the  nearest  church  ;  if 
there  is  no  church  near  it  is  to  be  commended  to  the  Com- 
mittee of  Presbyter}^,  or,  if  it  seems  best,  placed  under 
the  immediate  care  of  the  Synodical  missionary.  After 
following  out  these  instructions,  as  far  as  possible,  the  mis- 
sionary is  to  push  his  way  to  the  front  and  go  over  the  same 
round  of  duty  in  another  field,  but  he  is  specially  instructed 
to  continue  his  correspondence  with  the  superintendents  of 
the  schools  he  has  organized,  and  to  revisit  them  from  time 
to  time  as  opportunity  offers,  doing  all  in  his  power  towards 
preserving  and  fostering  the  schools  he  has  established.  He 
is  also  specially  instructed  not  to  neglect  a  particular  school 
because  it  is  small,  since  '  the  organization  of  a  small  Sab- 
bath-school out  in  some  destitute  region '  might  '  give  birth 
to  results  far  greater  than  those  achieved  by  some  renowned 
warrior.' 

2.  Departmental  Supervision. — In  the  circulars  sent 
out  to  the  missionaries  from  time  to  time  the  matter  of  per- 
manence is  emphatically  brought  to  their  notice.  I  give 
some  quotations :  '  Conscientiously  and  faithfully  concen- 
trate your  whole  effort,  not  only  upon  the  organization,  but 
the  permanent  establishment  of  new  Sabbath-schools.' 
'  Constantly  aim  at  quality  and  stability ;  never  sacrifice 
permanence  to  mere  numbers.'  '  Our  work  has  been  crit- 
icised that  the  schools  die;  you  must  see  that  they  live. 
It  is  undoubted  1}^  true  that  too  large  a  proportion  of  our 
schools  do  die.  Keep  watch  over  the  schools  which  you 
have  organized.  Pray  for  them,  each  one.  Revisit  them, 
and  do  everything  in  your  power  to  preserve  them  from  ex- 
tinction.' Nothing  could  be  more  clear  and  decided  as 
showing  that  from  the  very  inception  of  the  work  perma- 
nence and  stability  have  been  regarded  as  essential  marks 
of  success. 

3.  The  Annual  Census. — As  a  further  safeguard,  every 
missionary  is  required  at  the  close  of  every  year,  in  addi- 


PERMANENCE    IN    SABBATH-SCHOOL   WORK.  69 

tion  to  the  monthly  reports  and  quarterly  letters,  to  make  a 
census  of  the  schools  established  during  the  year,  showing 
their  condition,  if  living,  and  the  causes  of  discontinuance, 
if  dead.  The  personal  visits  to  or  correspondence  with 
these  schools  naturally  draws  the  attention  of  the  mission- 
ary to  the  special  features  of  each  case,  and  may  be  the 
means  of  preventing  their  demise  or  of  resuscitating  them. 

4.  Presbyterial  Oversight. — The  superintendent  cor- 
responds with  the  chairmen  of  the  Presbyterial  Commit- 
tees, sending  to  them  copies  of  the  rules,  instructions,  and 
circulars  issued  to  the  missionaries,  so  as  to  keep  them  ad- 
vised and  secure  their  co-operation.  The  missionaries  also 
send  their  monthl}^  reports  to  these  gentlemen  for  examina- 
tion and  indorsement  before  forwarding  them  to  the  de- 
partment. These  reports  are  sure  to  be  scrutinized  care- 
fully, and  are  likel}^  to  be  presented  and  discussed  at  the 
meetings  of  the  Presbyteries.  The  principle  regulating  all 
is  truth,  publicity,  light.  In  one  instance,  at  least,  a  mis- 
sionary was  dismissed  because  of  'inaccuracies'  in  his  re- 
ports. 

5.  Synodical  Superintendence. — It  is  evident  that  the 
Board  has  felt  throughout  the  paramount  importance  of 
this  question.  But  were  the  safeguards  thus  far  devised 
perfect?  Could  anything  further  be  done  to  decrease  the 
proportion  of  lost  schools  ?  The  missionaries  were,  it  is 
true,  selected  because  of  their  special  fitness  for  this  work, 
and  were  believed  to  be  in  hearty  sympathy  with  the  de- 
partment. But  they  labored  in  fields  of  vast  extent,  gener- 
ally at  great  distances  from  their  advisers  and  directors. 
They  might  sometimes  j^rove  lacking  in  judgment.  The 
supervision  of  the  Presbytery  might  be  more  nominal  than 
real.  The  officials  and  committees  of  Presbytery  give  their 
services  without  a  money  recompense.  They  are  mostly 
busy,  overworked  pastors.  Synodical  home  missionaries 
work  for  another  Board,  and  have  their  time  and  energies 
fully  taxed  without  throwing  upon  them  the  responsibility 


70  SABBATH-SCHOOL   MISSION    WOKK. 

of  inspecting  the  work  of  the  Sabbath-school  missionaries. 
There  was  one  step  further  which,  without  involving  a 
large  expense,  could  not  fail  to  bring  into  the  work  the 
desired  element  of  a  constant  supervision.  In  the  early 
weeks  of  this  year,  1893,  the  Board  of  Publication  gave  its 
approval  to  a  proposition  for  the  appointment,  whenever 
deemed  necessary,  of  Synodical  Sabbath-school  missionaries, 
who  should  not  only  labor  as  Sabbath-school  missionaries 
themselves,  but  also  supervise  the  labors  of  the  other  mis- 
sionaries of  the  Board  within  the  bounds  of  their  respective 
Synods. 

This  plan  will  no  doubt  be  immediately  put  into  opera- 
tion in  those  States  wherever  it  seems  to  be  most  called  for. 
It  will  not  take  any  responsibility  or  authority  from  the 
Presbytery  as  the  local  judicatory  of  the  Church,  but  it  will 
insure  thorough  oversight  and  supervision,  as  well  as 
efficient  training  for  the  missionaries,  both  permanent 
and  temporary,  and  their  judicious  allotment  to  fields  of 
labor.  It  will  not  be  altogether  an  experiment,  for  the 
Synod  of  Minnesota  five  years  ago  constituted  one  of  the 
missionaries  of  this  Board  a  Sabbath -school  Synodical  mis- 
sionary on  its  own  account.  The  arrangement  seems  to 
have  worked  exceedingly  well.  The  Sabbath-school  and 
the  Home  Mission  Synodical  missionaries  have  worked  har- 
moniously together  and  to  their  mutual  benefit,  as  it  was 
believed  they  would,  and  Minnesota  is  regarded  as  the  best 
field  of  the  Board.  Eight  other  Synods  have  already  offi- 
cially requested  the  Board  to  appoint  Synodical  Sabbath- 
school  missionaries  within  their  bounds. 

Summer  Schools. 

Many  of  the  discontinued  schools  which  have  brought 
the  charge  of  want  of  permanence  upon  this  work  have 
been  what  are  termed  *  summer  schools,'  gathered  together 
during  a  summer  campaign  of  theological  students,  and 
disbanding  at  the  approach  of  winter.  It  is  a  pity  to  let 
them  disband.  But  was  it  a  mistake  to  gather  them  to- 
gether ?    There  are  places  where  it  is  practically  impossible, 


PERMANENCE  IN  SABBATH-SCHOOL  WORK.        71 

under  the  existing  conditions,  to  keep  up  a  Sabbath-school 
during  the  winter.  Does  it  follow  that  it  is  useless  to  main- 
tain one  during  the  summer?  While  permanence  is  to  be 
greatly  desired  and  earnestly  sought  after,  these  little  flick- 
ering lights,  shining  for  a  little  while  in  dark  places,  ought 
to  have  a  warm  place  in  the  heart  of  the  Church. 

It  might  be  a  good  suggestion  to  keep  this  summer  work 
distinct  in  the  reports  from  the  regular  work  of  the  stated 
missionaries.  I  throw  the  suggestion  out  for  consideration, 
whether  the  mingling  of  all  schools  together  in  a  common 
list  gives  a  sufficiently  clear  view  of  the  actual  work  done, 
and  may  not  be  answerable  for  many  apparent  failures, 
which  ought  instead  to  be  termed  successes,  and  would  be 
so  termed  if  they  were  classified  under  the  head  '  Transient, 
or  summer  schools.' 

Encouragements. 

There  is  a  bright  and  hopeful  side  of  the  question  even 
in  reference  to  schools  which  ought,  by  every  consideration, 
to  be  permanent,  but  are  not. 

Is  it  reasonable  to  expect  that  the  work  of  Sabbath-school 
extension  can  be  carried  on  without  failures  and  disap- 
pointments? We  do  not  expect  this  of  any  other  depart- 
ment of  aggressive  labor.  We  do  not  expect  it  in  the  home 
mission  or  foreign  mission  work.  If  we  were  to  institute 
comparisons,  I  have  no  doubt  we  should  find  that  the  propor- 
tion of  success  to  failure  is  as  great  in  this  work  as  in  any 
other  department  of  the  Lord's  service.  We  do  not  expect 
this  in  the  sphere  of  worldly  business.  A  manufacturing 
or  mercantile  concern  is  well  satisfied  if  the  results  of  each 
year,  or  of  each  commercial  journey,  '  average  '  well.  '  The 
children  of  this  world  are  wiser  in  their  generations  than 
the  children  of  light.'  *  I  do  not  say  that  we  should  not 
grieve  over  our  failures,  but  I  do  say  that  we  cannot  expect, 
in  the  nature  of  things,  always  to  succeed.  And  then  we 
must  not  forget  that  a  death  implies  a  hfe.    The  life  may 


*  Luke  xvi.  8. 


72  SABBATH-SCHOOL   MISSION   WORK. 

have  been  short,  but  who  can  say  that  it  had  been  better 
had  there  been  no  life. 

Ministers,  of  all  men,  should  not  speak  too  disparagingly 
of  these  drawbacks.  They  know  too  well  how  often  they 
stand  in  need  of  encouragement  over  the  difficulties  and 
failures  of  their  ministry,  and  how  ready  the  '  enemy'  is  to 
gloat  over  these  admissions.  But,  for  all  that,  they  believe 
and  are  sure  that  the  Word  of  God  does  not  fail.  A  school 
may  be  transient,  but  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  not 
transient.  Christian  faith  and  heroism  will  see  in  the 
'  breakdown  '  of  a  promising  work  not  merely  an  occasion 
for  grief,  but  a  call  to  greater  consecration,  zeal,  and  faith. 
Some  of  the  brightest  instances  of  individual  conversion 
and  spiritual  awakening  maybe  in  places  where  the  school 
itself  has  gone  down. 

Then,  also,  it  must  be  remembered  that  much  of  this 
Sabbath-school  work  is  really  tentative  and  experimental. 
It  is  like  'prospecting'  for  mines.  It  must  be  done.  It 
involves  no  serious  cost,  as  has  been  seen  in  another  section 
of  this  review.  A  failure  to  establish  a  school  involves  no 
risk,  and,  should  the  effort  be  well  made,  implies  no  dis- 
grace. Would  any  reasonable  person  contend,  in  respect 
of  any  one  of  these  lapsed  schools,  that  the  attempt  to 
establish  it  ought  not  to  have  been  made  ? 

It  is  easy  to  be  wise  after  the  event.  If  missionaries  are 
never  to  organize  a  school  unless  the}"  are  absolutely  certain 
of  its  permanence,  the  Sabbath-school  extension  work  will 
soon  dwindle  down  into  very  meagre  proportions.  They 
do  not  know  when  they  go  into  a  town  whether  they  shall 
succeed  or  not.  They  have  hope  and  faith,  and  it  is  their 
duty  and  privilege  'to  sow  beside  all  waters.'  In  this  con- 
nection it  would  be  well  to  read  over  again,  and  very 
thoughtfully,  our  Lord's  parable  of  the  sower,  and  its  inter- 
pretation as  given  to  the  disciples.*  Here  were  three  cases 
of  failure  to  one  of  success.  If  the  disciples,  in  their  home 
missionary  journey — '  through  the  towns  '  '  of  Israel,'  '  by 

*  Matt.  xiii.     Mark  iv.     Luke  viii. 


PERMANENCE    IN    SABBATH-SCHOOL    WORK.  t6 

two  and  two'  " — had  been  expected  to  send  in  a  statistical 
report  of  their  successes  and  failures,  it  might  have  looked 
discouraging  to  any  but  to  Him  'who  knoweth  all  things.' 
In  the  'great  day'  some  of  the  greatest  triumphs  may  ap- 
pear to  have  been  where  the  world,  and  even  the  Church, 
have  pronounced  the  word  '  defeat.' 

*  Matt.  X.  5.     Mark  vi.  7.     Luke  ix.  1. 


74  SABBATH-SCHOOL    MISSION   WORK. 


VII. 

RESPONSIBILITY  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

Is  THE  Presbyterian  Church  fully  alive  to  the  im- 
portance OF  the  Sabbath-school  extension  movement, 

AND    PREPARED    TO    FOLLOW    UP    THE    ADVANTAGES    ALREADY 
GAINED? 

This  question  cannot  be  fully  answered  in  this 
pamphlet.  There  are  indications  of  an  awakening  of 
thought  towards  this  subject,  which  will  lead,  let  us  hope, 
to  wise  and  earnest  counsel  and  effort. 

1.  The  Presbyteries. — I  have  shown  in  the  discussion  on 
General  Principles  that  this  Sabbath  school  work  is  based 
on  a  recognition  of  Presbyterial  authority  and  responsi- 
bility. It  is  not  conducted  by  an  independent  society 
working  along  lines  laid  down  by  itself.  Its  very  existence 
depends  upon  the  voice  of  the  Church,  through  the  General 
Assembly.  Its  objects  are  defined,  and  its  general  methods 
and  plans,  as  far  as  possible,  laid  down  by  this  august  body. 
The  Presbytery  is  free  to  admit  or  to  refuse  admission  to 
this  work  within  its  bounds.  The  General  Assembly  con- 
cedes this  right  by  special  resolution.  But  having  opened 
its  doors  to  the  work,  the  Presbytery  cannot  ignore  it.  It 
ought  not  to  do  so,  for  the  Board  and  the  Presbytery  are 
both  working  for  the  same  cause.  Accepting  the  oversight, 
it  becomes  responsible  to  the  whole  Church  to  this  extent, 
that  it  shall  not  fail  to  carry  out  that  oversight  and  to  aid 
the  work  to  the  extent  of  its  ability.  Obligation  and  in- 
terest here  go  together.  An  obligation,  however,  may  be 
recognized  as  to  the  letter  but  evaded  as  to  its  spirit.  This 
is  a  work,  indeed,  which  no  Presbytery  having  in  view  the 
j)rogress  of  the  Church  can  afford  to  overlook.  Its  failure 
in  any  place  means  the  failure  of  tlie  Presbyterian  Church 
in  that  place.     Its  success  means  the  success  of  the  Presby- 


RESPONSIBILITY    OF    THE    CHURCH.  75 

terian  Church.  It  is  pioneer  work  that  is  being  done.  It 
commands  the  confidence  and  has  aroused  the  enthusiasm 
of  the  membership  of  the  Church.  Much  of  its  distinctively 
Presbyterian  and  permanent  character  depends  upon  the 
hearty  support  and  countenance  given  to  it  by  Presbyteries. 
It  is  only  reasonable  to  conclude  that  if  the  Presbyteries 
show  but  little  interest  in  the  new  schools  many  of  them 
will  pass  into  the  hands  of  other  denominations  or  soon 
become  extinct. 

Suggestions  from  the  Field. 

An  interesting  letter  from  one  of  the  most  experienced  of 
the  Sabbath-school  missionaries  contains  some  practical 
suggestions  on  the  above  points : — 

The  prime  cause  of  our  Church  not  reaping  the  full  benefit  of  the  mis- 
sionary work  is  the  failure  of  the  Presbyteries  to  take  charge  of  the 
work  and  carry  it  forward  after  our  missionaries  have  left.  *  *  * 
Hundreds  of  schools  have  been  organized  and  well  developed,  and  have 
asked  for  Presbyterial  care,  but  could  not  have  it.  Other  denominations 
are  always  ready  to  supply  what  our  Church  fails  to  give.  Many  other 
schools  wait  until  they  become  discouraged,  and  then  die  for  want  of 
care.  That  the  Presbyteries  are  unable,  in  a  great  number  of  instances, 
to  care  for  the  schools  organized  and  save  them  to  our  Church,  is  a  fact ; 
and  there  are  three  causes  which  prevent  this  :  First,  indisposition  ;  sec- 
ond, lack  of  money ;  third,  lack  of  men.  And  yet  the  missionary  is 
blamed  for  not  making  the  schools  develop  into  Presbyterian  schools  and 
churches.  *  *  *  But  the  questions  are  raised  and  must  be  answered. 
What  becomes  of  the  schools  organized?  What  can  be  done  to  save 
more  of  them  to  the  Church?  As  to  the  first,  I  would  say  about  one- 
fifth  are  thoroughly  and  permanently  Presbyterian,  two-fifths  are 
Presbyterian  in  literature  and  supervision,  and  in  every  way  so  far  as 
the  missionaries  can  make  them,  and  will  become  thoroughly  and  per- 
manently Presbyterian  if  properly  fostered  by  the  Presbyteries,  and  if 
not  will,  to  a  great  extent,  fall  under  the  care  of  other  denominations ; 
one-fifth  belong  to  other  denominations  when  organized,  and  one-fifth 
are  lost. 

The  second  question  is  not  so  easily  answered,  but  I  would  suggest  the 
following :  *  *  *  Let  Presbytery  require  one  elder  from  each  church, 
or  some  other  person,  to  visit  four  such  schools  during  the  year,  and 
every  minister  in  the  Pre.sbytery  to  give  three  Sabbaths  during  the  year 
to  preaching  in  these  new  fields,  and  then  each  Presbytery  should  have 
a  pastor-at-large  to  supply  the  vacant  churches  that  depend  on  the  Home 
Mission  Board  for  aid.  Let  the  Home  Mission  Committee  and  the  Sab- 
bath-school Committee  work  jointly  in  providing  for  those  new  schools 


76  SABBATH-SCHOOL   MISSION   WORK. 

and  new  fields.  If  such  an  arrangement  could  be  made  there  would  be 
an  astonishing  advance  in  all  our  Church  work,  and  most  of  the  new 
Sabbath-schools  would  be  saved  to  the  Church. 

There  may  be  other  plans  besides  these  suggested  by  my 
correspondent  that  might  prove  effective.  It  might  be  pos- 
sible, in  some  cases,  to  employ  paid  teachers  and  superin- 
intendents.  Persons  might  be  induced  by  the  prospect  of  a 
small  stated  remuneration  to  reside  in  a  particular  town 
and  devote  a  part  or  the  whole  of  their  time  during  the 
week  as  well  as  their  Sabbaths  to  visiting  and  building  up 
the  school.  The  work  might  be  made  part  of  a  broadly  laid 
plan  of  evangelistic  work,  in  which  lay  as  well  as  ministerial 
talent  should  be  utilized. 

2.  The  Churches. — Whatever  plans  may  be  devised  for 
drawing  out  the  strength  of  the  Church  in  meeting  the 
demands  of  the  age,  one  thing  is  clear.  The  Church  itself,  as 
a  whole,  needs  most  of  all  the  quickening  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
to  enable  her  to  rise  to  the  importance  of  the  work  and  the 
grandeur  of  the  opportunity.  It  sometimes  happens  that 
an  apparently  accidental  circumstance  draws  attention  to  a 
great  crisis  or  duty.  Providence  often  uses  unexpected  and 
seemingly  small  causes  to  bring  about  marvelous  results. 
It  probably  seemed  to  many  a  small  matter  when  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  simply  consolidated  two  departments  of  its 
Publication  Board  into  one,  but  this  mere  change  in  a  mat- 
ter of  detail  has  been  the  means  of  opening  the  eyes  of  many 
in  the  Church  to  a  great  peril  and  of  kindling  thought  and 
enthusiasm  in  the  hearts  of  multitudes  in  the  eflPbrt  to  avert 
it.  The  fact  that  the  Church  of  Christ  in  this  land  of  ours, 
notwithstanding  all  its  noble  institutions,  is  steadil}^  losing- 
its  hold  upon  the  youth  of  our  country,  has  long  been  sus- 
pected by  many  who  note  the  turning  away  of  multitudes 
of  young  people  from  church  and  Sabbath-school,  but  the 
facts  and  figures  unfolded  through  the  investigations  of  the 
Sabbath-school  work  of  our  Church  turn  these  suspicions 
into  realities. 


CONCLUSION.  77 


VIII. 
CONCLUSION. 

I  SHALL  leave  to  the  reader  the  task  of  drawing  his  own 
inferences  and  conclusions  from  the  various  points  brought 
under  review  in  the  foregoing  pages,  having  already  written 
at  far  greater  length  than  I  originally  intended.  The 
division  of  the  treatise  into  sections  removes  the  necessity 
for  recapitulation.  A  few  closing  words  will  give  the  view 
of  the  subject,  as  a  whole,  which  is  deeply  impressed  on  my 
own  mind. 

It  has  undoubtedly  been  proved  that  the  Sabbath -school 
mission  work  opens  up  hundreds  of  new  fields  of  labor 
every  year  in  our  Church  alone.  The  Church  ought  therefore 
to  be  prepared  to  follow  up  the  advantage  in  a  systematic, 
earnest  way.  Lay  talent  can  be  used  in  this  service  to  im- 
mense advantage.  Evangelists  and  ministers,  equipped  by  a 
course  of  sound  Biblical  training,  even  if  not  learned  in  the 
original  languages  of  Scripture,  should  be  encouraged  to  go 
to  the  front.  Men  are  needed  who  can  persuade  and  lead 
men — good  organizers,  good  preachers,  men  who  are  wide 
awake  and  can  talk  in  the  plain  vernacular  of  the  people — 
above  all,  men  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  AVomen  who  can 
teach  and  influence  w^omen  are  needed.  If  this  means 
that  the  income  of  our  Missionary  Societies  should  be 
doubled,  or  even  quadrupled,  the  Church  can  do  it  if  it  will. 
The  responsibility  is  alike  on  churches,  pastors,  presbyteries, 
and  people.  We  are,  I  believe,  on  the  eve  of  a  great  out- 
burst of  Christian  enthusiasm  in  this  work,  and  the  fire  will 
spread  till  it  embraces  all  the  agencies  of  the  Church.  In- 
stead of  the  offerings  of  the  churches  being  reckoned  at 
so  many  cents  per  head  to  the  cause  of  Missions,  they 
will  mount  up  until  they  are  counted  by  so  many  dollars 
per  head.  A  steady  inpouring  of  the  tithes  into  the  treas- 
ury of  the  Lord  will   prove  the  Lord  of  hosts,  and  gifts 


78  SABBATH-SCHOOL    MISSION   WORK. 

consecrated  by  faith  and  pra3''er  will  bring  down  a  spiritual 
blessing. 

For   as  the   rain   cometh  down,   and  the  snow 

PROM  heaven,  and  RETURNETH  NOT  THITHER,  BUT  WA- 
TERETH     THE     EARTH,    AND    MAKETH     IT     BRING     FORTH 

and  bud,  that  it  may  give  seed  to  the  sower 
and  bread  to  the  eater: 

so  shall  my  word  be  that  goeth  forth  out  of 
my  mouth  :  it  shall  not  return  unto  me  void,  but 
it  shall  accomplish  that  which  i  please,  and  it 
shall  prosper  in  the  thing  whereto  i  sent  it. 

For  ye  shall  go  out  with  joy,  and  be  led 
forth  with  peace  :   the  mountains  and  the  hills 

shall  break  FORTH  BEFORE  YOU  INTO  SINGING,  AND 
ALL  THE  TREES  OF  THE  FIELD  SHALL  CLAP  THEIR 
HANDS. 

Instead  of  the  thorn  shall  come  up  the  fir 
tree,  and  instead  of  the  brier  shall  come  up 
the  myrtle  tree  :  and  it  shall  be  to  the  lord 
for  a  name,  for  an  everlasting  sign  that  shall 
not  be  cut  off.* 

*  Isa.  Iv.  10-13. 


